


It Never Rains on Saturday

by TheLegendOfChel



Series: Rain or Shine [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Archer Lance (Voltron), Demon Keith (Voltron), Demon Shiro (Voltron), Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mage & Demon Queen AU, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a little bit of hurt/comfort, and Lance is determined to rescue him with the power of True Love, but really he's more like a princess locked away in a tower, in which everyone thinks Keith is a terrifying Demon King, they basically live in an rpg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-05-16 06:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19312513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLegendOfChel/pseuds/TheLegendOfChel
Summary: In the magical kingdom of Altea lies an ominous tower filled with monsters. Every day, adventurers battle through the tower’s levels in a never-ending quest to slay the Demon King who lives at the very top.Lance, a talented archer, is one such adventurer. However, Lance doesn’t want to kill the Demon King.Lance wants to marry him.-----Loosely based on the webcomic “Mage & Demon Queen” by Color_LES





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I recently read the webcomic “Mage & Demon Queen” by Color_LES and fell in love. I also immediately started imagining a klance au, which wouldn’t leave my brain, so here we are. Please note that while the premise of the fic is based on the comic (because it’s amazing) the plot itself is pretty different, so you don’t need to worry about spoilers.
> 
> For anyone who hasn't read the comic, this au takes place in a world that follows the same rules as a video game rpg. However, there are no "players" controlling the characters. It's more like they're all sentient NPCs. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to explain!
> 
> Enjoy! (๑¯◡¯๑)

Lance’s heart raced as he stood before two enormous doors, the dark ebony carved with elaborate runes and symbols. It had taken him hours to get here. Lance was exhausted and his supply of magic potions and health items were nearly depleted, but he couldn’t give up now, not when he was so close.

With a fortifying breath, Lance pushed open the heavy doors and stepped inside. Torches lined the walls and the pale moonlight filtered through the tall windows, illuminating Lance’s path as he walked across the large room.

At the far end, a dais led up to an opulent throne made of twisting pitch black metal and rich crimson velvet. A lone figure sat upon the throne, bathed in shadows that hid his face from view.

But Lance knew all too well who this was. After all, he was the whole reason Lance was here.

“So you’ve come again,” the figure said, his voice low. “Still haven’t learned your lesson?”

Lance smirked.

“This won’t be like all the other times you’ve defeated me,” he declared. “I brought a secret weapon.”

Lance reached into his pouch. The figure tensed, gripping the hilt of his sword in anticipation.

“I went through hell getting my hands on this, but I don’t regret it for a second,” Lance continued, “not if it means I’ll finally get what I want.”

He dropped down onto one knee and opened the small box to reveal a golden ring with a beautiful diamond embedded into it.

“Please marry me!”

The Demon King stared down at Lance’s hopeful expression for a long moment. Silently, he raised a hand to snap his fingers. A huge wave of flame engulfed Lance with a _fwoosh,_ and the world went dark.

\-----

Lance opened his eyes and found himself back in town.

With a sigh, Lance opened his inventory, hoping he still had enough money to pay the respawn fee since he didn’t want to have to borrow from Hunk again if he could help it. Scanning his items, Lance froze.

The ring was gone.

Lance dropped his head into his hands with a groan. He saved up for weeks to buy that ring! Now it was probably laying on the Demon King’s floor with the other random stuff Lance dropped when he died. Sure, Lance had wanted him to have it, but not like this!

“Oh well,” Lance sighed. “He didn’t like it anyway. Guess it’s back to the drawing board.”

Lance paid the nurse his fee and set off to meet with Hunk and Pidge, mind already busy with new ideas of how to woo his beloved.

\-----

Keith eyed the scorch mark on the floor with distaste. It was all that was left of the idiot he’d burnt to a crisp, aside from a handful of loot. He turned away to leave it for his servants to clean up when a glint caught Keith’s eye. Curious, he crouched down and picked it up. It was the ring.

With a scoff, Keith plucked the ring from its case and held it up for closer inspection. The diamond sparkled under the moonlight. Keith pursed his lips, glancing around the empty room.

He reached under his shirt to pull out a long thin gold chain, and quickly slipped the ring onto it before tucking it back beneath his clothes.

...No sense in wasting good jewelry.

\-----

Lance let out a long sigh as he slumped over the wooden table, one hand clutching a mug of ale. Across from him, Hunk offered a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” he said. “And after you worked so hard to afford it. You spent hours grinding in the Balmera Caves.”

“At least you got to keep the XP,” Pidge said.

“I don’t even care about the money or the grinding,” Lance groaned. “I just thought that if I had a ring, he might finally say yes. It would make it all official, you know?”

“Yeah, I have no idea why you thought that would work,” Pidge said.

“I don’t know,” Lance rolled his head back and forth, pressing his forehead against the wood. “I’ll try anything. I’m desperate, okay?”

Pidge and Hunk exchanged a glance.

“Maybe it’s time you considered giving up this...infatuation,” Pidge lightly suggested.

Lance’s head snapped up to glare at his friends.

“It’s not an infatuation!” he said. “I’ll admit it might have started out that way, but I’ve gotten to know him since then. I know what I feel, and it’s love! True Love!”

“Okay, we believe you,” Hunk raised his hands placatingly. “But just because you love him, doesn’t mean he loves you back, and you can’t force him to. Has he ever hinted that he feels the same?”

Lance hesitated. “In a way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s never said outright that he likes me, but...I’m pretty sure he does. I wouldn’t keep pursuing him if I really believed he hated me.”

“He kills you every time you visit him,” Pidge pointed out.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t mean anything by it,” Lance flapped his hand. “He’s just, y’know...shy.”

“Shy,” she repeated flatly. “The Demon King, Terror of Altea, Destroyer of Heroes, is shy.”

“Yeah,” Lance smiled dreamily. “It’s adorable.”

Pidge dropped her face into her hands, shaking her head in despair. Hunk patted her on the back and nudged her ale closer.

\-----

Lance didn’t always want to marry the Demon King. Like other adventurers, Lance initially set out to slay the Demon King and bring peace to Altea. The reward money and fame wouldn’t hurt either.

There was, however, one more reason why Lance needed to defeat the strongest monster, and that was to prove himself. For years, people scoffed whenever Lance told them he would be the one to do it. They laughed, saying that an archer could never be the destined hero, no matter how skilled he was with a bow. The hero would be a swordsman, or maybe a powerful mage. But an archer? Never. It was a supporting role, nothing more.

And so, filled with righteous indignation, Lance travelled to the demon tower as soon as he graduated from the Adventurer’s Academy, armed with his trusty bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a heart brimming with determination.  

He made it to the seventh floor before a giant lizard monster ate him.

When Lance woke up back in town, he didn’t falter. Instead he strategized, using the knowledge and experience from his failed attempt to plan for the next attempt. After a week of preparation, he returned to the tower.

That time, he made it to the twelfth floor.

Over the course of several weeks, Lance never gave up. He kept trying, and steadily worked his way higher and higher. It got to the point where some of the lower leveled demons got tired of fighting him and just waved him through to the next floor. Lance found it odd, but wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Finally, he made it to the top.

Lance could barely believe it. He’d spent so long trying to get there, he leveled up to almost twice what his level was before he started. Seeing the ebony doors covered in ancient runes was almost surreal. After double checking he had all his equipment ready, Lance pushed the doors open and walked into the throne room.

Lance wasn’t sure what to expect. Few ever made it to the Demon King’s floor, and those who did were often too traumatized to describe the beast. Lance always pictured a huge, furry monster with long fangs and razor sharp claws.

But what he found was something else entirely.

Lance came to a halt before the dark throne and stared. Perched upon the seat, a bored expression on his face, was a boy. He looked about Lance’s age, though in reality he was probably hundreds of years old, with pale skin and midnight black hair that fell past his shoulders. Two dark horns protruded from his head, curling upward, and large, crimson, dragon-like wings arched behind him.

He looked down at Lance with beautiful violet eyes.

“It’s been awhile since anyone’s made it this far,” the boy said. “What’s your name, hero?”

The boy’s chin was propped on his hand, and Lance noticed his fingernails were black too. He idly wondered if they were painted or if the color was natural.

“Uh…” Lance swallowed. “I’m Lance. I’ve...come to kill you...?”

His voice lilted up at the end, turning his declaration into a question. The boy, no, the Demon King, smiled in amusement.

“Of course you have,” he said.

The Demon King stood up, and Lance frantically tried to regain his senses. It didn’t help that the Demon King’s outfit seemed to be nothing but pieces of black leather held together by delicate silver chains and clasps. A thin devil’s tail lazily swished through the air as the Demon King walked a slow circle around Lance.

“And what is it you hope to gain by killing me?” he asked. “Glory? Riches? Oh wait, you seem like the heart-of-gold type. Let me guess, you’re doing it to save the people of Altea. How noble.”

A mocking smirk graced the Demon King’s lips.

“I did come here to save the kingdom,” Lance said, “but now that I’ve seen you with my own eyes, there’s something else I want even more.”

“Oh?” The demon raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

Lance took a deep breath and met the Demon King’s gaze with fiery determination.

“Please go out with me!”

The demon blinked, his cool air of indifference abruptly forgotten. As Lance continued to hold eye contact, a rosy blush started to creep up the Demon King’s face.

“W-what?” he asked, “You can’t just... _what?”_

Heedless of the danger, Lance stepped forward to grasp the Demon King’s hand, holding it up between his own. Still in shock, the demon merely gaped back.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” Lance said earnestly.

Those gorgeous eyes widened. Yanking his hand away, the Demon King took a step back. Lance noticed that he was wearing high heeled boots, which meant he was actually shorter than Lance. Cute.

“Is this some kind of trick?” the demon demanded. “Well I’m not gonna fall for it, so you might as well give up this charade and fight me, you coward!”

“It’s not a trick,” Lance said. “I don’t want to fight you. I want to court you.”

“That’s stupid!” the demon snapped. “You’re stupid! Do you know who I am?! I am the Demon King, the most powerful being in the land, feared by all who cross my path!”

“I don’t fear you,” Lance said honestly.

The demon sneered. “Then you _are_ an idiot.”

“Maybe I am,” Lance shrugged with a helpless smile. “But I’d like to be your idiot, if you’ll have me. And if you give me a chance, then I swear,” his blue eyes shone with the passion blazing through his soul, “I will make you mine.”

The Demon King stared at Lance again.

Lance blinked and quickly backpedaled.

“Um, I don’t mean make you my idiot. I’m not...I’m not calling you a...I just meant, uh,” he cleared his throat and pressed his hand against his chest to convey his sincerity, “I’ll make you mine in every way I can. Mine to cherish and mine to protect. Mine to love.”

As soon as the last word fell from Lance’s mouth, the Demon King seemed to snap out of his stupor. Face bright red and lips curled into a snarl, he raised a hand to summon a giant ball of magic energy.

Lance had a split second to think about how adorable the Demon King’s little fangs were before everything went dark.

\-----

From that day on, it became Lance’s new mission in life to win the Demon King’s heart.

Just like before, Lance would travel to the demon tower every week to make his way to the top. However, Lance no longer saw the many creatures he fought as enemies. He instead decided to try and get on their good side. After all, they were the Demon King’s subjects, possibly even his friends or family, so Lance wanted to be on good terms with them.

Luckily, the process had already started in a way. Even before he met the Demon King, Lance had gotten to know some of the lower leveled demons simply by seeing them so often. He’d never actively tried to befriend them, but there was a sense of mutual respect. Many adventurers treated their enemies poorly after defeating them, looting the demons for all they were worth. Lance, however, was perfectly happy with just taking the experience points, so when he came more and more often, the demons were more willing to let him pass.

Eventually, it got to the point where Lance could just walk up the majority of the levels without ever needing to raise his bow, which pleased him since less time spent fighting other demons meant more time to woo the king.

Unfortunately, that part of Lance’s plan was...less successful.

“FOR THE LAST TIME, I WILL NOT GO OUT WITH YOU!”

Lance dodge-rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast of dark magic that turned the marble pillar behind him into rubble.

“That’s okay!” Lance shouted back, drawing his bowstring taut. “We can skip right to the wedding, I don’t mind!”

The Demon King caught Lance’s arrow mid-flight and snapped it in half with a strangled roar.

“You’re so fucking annoying!” He hurled another fireball at Lance. “How many times do I have to kill you before you understand?!”

“At least once more,” Lance winked. “As always.”

Needless to say, the healers at the respawn zone got to know Lance too.

But Lance didn’t lose heart. In between dodging magic missiles and fireballs, Lance chattered away, asking the Demon King questions about himself and sharing tales of his own adventures. The Demon King usually just ignored him, but every so often Lance wheedled  out a response. Slowly but surely, he chipped away at the Demon King’s icy walls, cherishing every tiny kernel of information about his love that he could get.

One time, about two months after their first meeting, Lance entered the throne room to find the Demon King sprawled sideways across his chair. He tilted his head towards Lance.

“I don’t really feel like fighting today,” he said.

Lance blinked. “Uh, that’s fine.”

Honestly, Lance never wanted to fight, but it was the only way to get the Demon King to talk to him. If Lance didn’t fight back, he usually died pretty quickly.

The Demon King turned his gaze back to stare listlessly up at the ceiling. Cautiously, Lance padded closer.

“Are you...okay?” he asked.

The Demon King didn’t answer. After a moment, Lance awkwardly sat on the top step of the dais next to the throne. The Demon King’s long silky hair fell down the side of the armrest, close enough to Lance that he caught the faintest scent of flowers. Hardly what he’d expect a demon to smell like, but oddly fitting nonetheless.

Lance’s fingers twitched with the desire to touch and see if it was as soft as it looked, but he knew doing so would only get him a trip to the respawn zone, so he tried to distract himself by opening up his inventory. Silence reigned as he worked.

A soft voice pulled Lance out of his concentration.

“What are you doing?”

Lance looked up to see violet eyes peering over his shoulder.

“Just crafting,” he replied. “I’ve got a lot of junk that’d be more useful combined to make potions or items that give me stat buffs.”

The demon’s critical gaze swept over the holographic screen.

“Your inventory is a mess.”

“Yeah,” Lance laughed. “I just leave everything in the order I pick stuff up. It drives my friend Pidge crazy, but I don’t have the patience to organize it all.”

The other boy hummed and reached out. Anyone else would probably balk at the thought of a demon touching their inventory, but Lance merely watched with open curiosity as the demon quickly navigated through the menus.

In the blink of an eye, Lance’s items rearranged themselves.

“Woah,” Lance said, “how’d you do that?”

“This button here,” he pointed. “It’s a little hard to find, but it lets you sort items by category, most used, or alphabetically.”

“That’s awesome,” Lance examined his new inventory with bright eyes. “I bet even Pidge doesn’t know about that!”

The Demon King settled back into his seat with a smug expression, and Lance happily returned to crafting.

Another long silence stretched between them, though this one was much more companionable than before. Lance looked up and saw that the Demon King’s smile had faded back to the melancholic stare. Gripped with the need to change that, Lance opened his mouth.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

The Demon King glanced down at him and shrugged. Taking this as permission, Lance asked, “What’s your name?”

Dark eyebrows drew together into a frown.

“You’ve been trying to court me for weeks and you don’t even know my name?”

“You never told me!” Lance said defensively. “I asked the other demons, but they wouldn’t say either, and no one in town calls you anything except The Demon King.”

Said demon huffed and looked away.

“There’s a reason for that,” he grumbled.

At Lance’s questioning stare, the demon sighed.

“My name is...not very intimidating,” he admitted. Those cute little fangs poked out to bite at his lower lip. “People expect a Demon King to be called something impressive or noble. I didn’t want anyone to think less of me, so I’ve just kept my name a secret.”

Lance waited expectantly. When the Demon King didn’t speak again, Lance asked, “So what is it?”

The Demon King slumped further into his seat and mumbled something under his breath.

“What?”

He flushed and spoke a bit louder.

“It’s Keith.”

He stared at Lance warily, like he expected Lance to make fun of him. Lance, however, grinned brightly.

“Keith,” he repeated. “I like it. It suits you.”

Keith blinked, his face softening ever so slightly. “It does?”

“Yeah,” Lance winked. “It’s short and sweet, just like you.”

“...”

The next thing he knew, Lance woke up in the respawn zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I’ve written quite a bit in advance, so hopefully the next update will be out fairly soon. I estimate this fic will have about 5 chapters, some longer than others.
> 
> If you liked the concept of this story, go check out “Mage & Demon Queen” on webtoons! It’s super cute and funny! As I mentioned earlier, the plot and characters’ backstories are very different from what I’m doing in this fic, so they shouldn’t spoil each other or anything.
> 
> Special thanks to my beta Melissa for taking time out of her busy schedule to edit this! You da best!
> 
> See you next time! (*ˊᗜˋ*)/


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Lance sighed, his face pressed against the cool granite of Hunk’s work table. 

“Hey, Lance,” Hunk’s voice said from across the room, “could you bring me that screwdriver? The one to your left?”

Lance grabbed the requested item and hopped down from the stool he’d been slouching on.

“What am I gonna do, Hunk?” Lance lamented, handing the tool over. “Keith didn’t like the ring. What else can I possibly offer him?”

“Are you sure he didn’t like it?” Hunk asked. His tongue poked out as he fiddled with the mechanism in his hands.

“Definitely,” Lance said. “Usually I can get him to talk for awhile before he kicks me out, but when I showed him the ring he immediately KO-ed me.”

“Maybe he just didn’t know how to respond,” Hunk said. “I mean, you guys aren’t even technically courting, and you proposed. That would put anyone on the spot, even a demon.”

Lance perked up a little bit at this thought. “Maybe you’re right. In any case, the ring’s gone now so I have to think of the next step.”

“Why don’t you try giving him something less...dramatic?” Hunk suggested. “Something more personal.”

“Hmmm. Oh!” Lance snapped his fingers. “I could write him a song! I’ll serenade him and he’ll fall in love with me for sure!”

“Uh, no offense, Lance,” Pidge cut in, “but didn’t you stop upgrading your bard skill at like, level two? Even with your high charisma stats, I don’t think that’ll cut it.”

Lance pouted as Pidge walked over with a large box of various types of gears. She set it down next to Hunk, who immediately started digging through it.

“I can level it up with practice,” Lance said weakly.

Pidge gave him a look and he sighed. 

“Fine,” he said, “then what do you suggest?”

“I think Hunk is on the right track,” Pidge said. “Grand gestures of romance are what _you_ like. Do something _he’ll_ like.”

Lance hummed in thought. Something Keith would like. Demons loved treasure, but as the king, Keith already had plenty of gold and jewels worth far more than anything Lance could provide. That was why so many adventurers went to the tower. Even if they knew they had no chance at defeating the Demon King, they could still get loot and experience points.

“Maybe you could make him something,” Hunk suggested. “We could help.”

“For a fee,” Pidge added with a smirk.

Hunk’s family ran the best (and most lucrative) smithy in Altea. Pidge liked to tinker with magic and technology, so she and Hunk became partners, and worked together to create magical artifacts and weapons.

“Aw, c’mon, Lance is our best friend,” Hunk said. “We can at least give him a discount.”

“Ugh, fine,” Pidge grumbled.

“Thanks, guys, but I spent basically all my money on that engagement ring,” Lance said. “I’ll keep the offer in mind though.”

“Suit yourself,” Pidge shrugged, “but what are you gonna give Keith?”

“Actually,” a smile spread across Lance’s face, “I have an idea.”

\-----

It took three days on the most perilous quest Lance had ever experienced, but he found what he was looking for just in the nick of time. Item stowed safely in his inventory, Lance stopped by his family’s ranch to freshen up and recover his energy, though it was a bit difficult to rest when Lance was practically vibrating with excitement. Keith was gonna love his present. 

Lance slung his quiver over his shoulder and was halfway through the door when a voice called out to him. He turned to see his brother Luis walk over with an apologetic expression.

“Lance, I’m sorry, but could you keep an eye on Nadia for me today?” Luis asked. “She’s still sick. I’d do it myself, but if I miss another day at work they’ll fire me.”

Lance’s heart sank. “Can’t you ask Rachel? Or Marco?”

“They’re both busy,” Luis shook his head. “You’re my last hope, Lance. Please.”

Shooting one last wistful look toward the tower in the distance, Lance set his gear down with a sigh. 

\-----

Keith slumped across his throne, knees hooked over one armrest while his head dangled off the other. Scowling at the ceiling, Keith crossed his arms with a huff, his thin tail whipping through the air in irritation.

The doors opened and Keith perked up, only to wilt when Shiro walked into the room.

As the most powerful demon after Keith, Shiro lived on the forty-ninth floor and held the position of Keith’s second-in-command. He was also Keith’s childhood friend and closest confidante. 

It was largely thanks to Shiro that so few adventurers ever reached Keith. Half man, half bird of prey, Shiro had razor sharp talons, huge wings, and the strength of ten men. In a weird way, some people were more scared of him than they were of Keith. While feared across the land, the Demon King was shrouded in mystery, and many considered him closer to a scary story one might tell misbehaved children rather than a tangible threat. Shiro, on the other hand, had battled countless warriors face-to-face, and they spread firsthand accounts of the terrifying raptor demon, even going so far as to give him the title, “The Champion.” 

“Dinner is ready, your majesty,” Shiro said. Seeing Keith’s face, he asked, “Is something wrong?”

Keith pouted and slumped further into his chair.

“No,” he said mulishly.

Keith heard footsteps, and Shiro’s face leaned into his field of view.

“Then why are you sulking?”

“I’m not sulking,” Keith mumbled.

Shiro raised an eyebrow.

After a long beat, Keith sighed. “It’s Saturday.”

Shiro looked at him blankly before realization dawned on his face.

“Oh, I thought something felt off,” he said. “Lance never showed up today.”

Keith’s scowl intensified and he sank further into the cushions. Lance had harassed Keith every Saturday for almost five months now, so where was he? Not that Keith was worried or anything, but he could at least have sent a note saying he couldn’t make it. Rude.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Keith,” Shiro patted Keith’s shoulder. “Something probably just came up.”

“Tch, whatever,” Keith scoffed. He hopped off of his throne and started walking to the doors. “That idiot can go die in a ditch for all I care.”

Smiling, Shiro followed. “Whatever you say, your majesty.”

\-----

Lance stepped into the demon’s tower. Two enormous glowing eyes with slitted pupils snapped open from the dark recesses of the chamber, and a voice bellowed out.

“WHO DARES ENTER THE DEMON KING’S LAIR? ALL SHALL TREMBLE BEFORE-”

“Nyma, it’s me.”

The eyes blinked before shrinking to a more human size. A young woman with cat-like ears protruding from her long blonde hair stepped out of the shadows.

“Oh, hey Lance,” Nyma said. “You’re here earlier than usual.”

“Yeah,” Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “I got waylaid yesterday, so I wanted to make the most of today.”

Something sparked in Nyma’s eyes, and a sly smile spread across her face.

“What?” Lance asked suspiciously.

“Oh, nothing,” she sang. “I just realized why his majesty was in such a bad mood, is all.”

A tiny ray of hope fluttered to life in Lance’s chest. Was Nyma implying what he thought she was implying? 

“Anyway, you can go on through,” Nyma waved lazily at the door leading upstairs. “We both know you’d beat me in a fight. I’d watch out for Zethrid though. She’s been itching for a rematch.”

“When isn’t she?” Lance grinned and hopped up the steps. “Thanks, Nyma!”

On the next floor, Lance spotted Rolo battling a handful of adventurers. Lance waved from behind them and silently made his way to the next set of stairs.

The hero traversed through the levels, occasionally stopping to chat with some of the more social demons if they weren’t busy. As expected, Zethrid demanded they fight, but Lance was able to win without using too many items. Some of the higher leveled demons still liked to battle Lance from time to time. Lance got the feeling it was more out of boredom than anything else.

On the forty-ninth floor, Shiro didn’t even glance up from his book before waving Lance through. Lance shot him a grin and hurried to the throne room.

No sooner had the doors shut behind him when a thin dagger flew through the air to sink into the wood mere centimeters from Lance’s face. Eyes as big as dinner plates, Lance slowly turned to the weapon’s owner.

“Hi, Keith,” Lance said in a very manly voice that wasn’t a squeak at all. “You’re looking beautiful as always.”

“You’ve got some nerve, showing your face here,” the Demon King hissed. He stalked toward Lance like a predator eyeing its next meal. “I thought I’d finally gotten rid of you.”

“Aw, c’mon,” Lance grinned, casually leaning against the door behind him. “You don’t mean that.”

Keith came to a halt in front of Lance, lips pulled back into a snarl. Lance knew he should at least pretend to be intimidated, but it was hard when all he could think about was how gorgeous Keith’s eyes looked up close and full of fire.

Seeing the Demon King about to yell at him some more, Lance grabbed the gift from his inventory and shoved it at Keith.

“Here, this is for you,” he blurted out.

Keith paused, his fury abruptly replaced by confusion.

“What...” he stared down at the object. “What is it?”

“It’s a Pollux Egg from the Quantum Abyss,” Lance explained. “Once they’re claimed by an owner, they hatch into whatever creature suits the owner best. I, uh, thought you might like it.”

Hesitantly, Keith took the egg. It was large, about the size of an adult’s head, and the shell was a kaleidoscope of color that shone faintly with magic. Keith gently trailed his fingertips across the smooth surface.

“Wait,” Keith’s head snapped back up to stare at Lance, “did you just say you got this in the Quantum Abyss?”

Lance rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and Keith’s eyes widened.

“The Abyss is the most dangerous area in Altea,” Keith gasped. “Is that why you weren’t here yesterday?”

“Actually, no,” Lance said. “I managed to get back in time, but my brother asked me to look after my niece while she was sick.”

“Oh…” Keith looked back down at the egg, biting his lip. “Are you sure you want to give this to me? It sounds like you went through a lot of trouble to get it.”

“I got it specifically _for_ you,” Lance smiled. “So, will you accept it?”

A notification popped up asking Keith to confirm the trade. Keith glanced back up at Lance before tapping the holographic screen. Once that was done, all they had to do was wait for the egg to hatch, so the two soon found themselves sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring down at the magical egg between them.

Keith looked up and cleared his throat. “Is your niece alright?”

“Yeah,” Lance nodded with a smile. “Her fever broke last night so she should be fine.”

“That, uh, that’s good,” Keith said awkwardly, before lapsing back into silence.

“...So,” Lance said after a few more minutes, “what do you think it’ll be?”

Keith shrugged. “You said it’ll suit its owner, right? I’m the Demon King, so it might be a bat or a snake or something.”

“I dunno,” Lance squinted at Keith. “When I think of you, I think more along the lines of like, a black cat.”

“A cat?” Keith raised his eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because cats are aloof,” Lance smirked, shooting him a wink. “And cute.”

Keith blushed. Before Lance could determine if it was from anger or embarrassment, a noise grabbed their attention. Lance and Keith looked down to see tiny cracks begin to spread throughout the Pollux Egg’s shell as it rocked back and forth.

A small snout with a black nose poked through the growing hole. Definitely not a snake then. In fact, it looked more like…

“A cosmic wolf,” Keith breathed.

The wolf, or to be more precise, the wolf puppy, shook off the remaining pieces of shell and blinked up at Keith. Keith blinked back.

A notification popped up, causing the Demon King to jump, then glare at Lance for snickering at his reaction. Keith looked down at the message and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked.

He peeked over at the screen. It prompted Keith to complete the bond by giving the cosmic wolf a name.

“I’ve never given anything a name before,” Keith finally admitted. “What if he doesn’t like it?”

“I don’t think that’s actually possible,” Lance said, “but I can help you if you want. I’ve named lots of stuff! Cows, chickens, horses, you name it.”

Keith glanced between the hologram, the wolf puppy, and Lance. He nodded.

“Okay, let’s see,” Lance rubbed his chin, giving the puppy a scrutinizing once over. It had dark blue fur, a fluffy blue mane, pale markings on his face and chest, and bright yellow eyes. “What about Fluffy? Kidding,” he said hastily at Keith’s glare. “Can you imagine though? All hail the Demon King, Terror of Altea, and his loyal beast, Fluffy!”

Keith rolled his eyes as Lance cackled. “Are you going to take this seriously or not?”

“Okay, okay,” Lance waved his mirth aside. “How about...Shadow?”

Keith considered it and shook his head.

“Midnight?”

“Nah.”

“Thunder?”

“Uh uh.”

“Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way?”

“Lance,” Keith scowled.

“Just trying to think of demonic names,” Lance’s teasing grin faded as he contemplated some more. “Hmmm, he’s a cosmic wolf. What about Kosmo? With a ‘K’ so you guys match.”

“Kosmo,” Keith repeated, feeling it out. “You don’t think it’s a little too...on the nose?”

“That’s what the ‘K’ is for!”

“I thought you said it was so we match.”

“That too!”

Keith rolled his eyes again, but inputted the name. Once he pressed enter, the screen shrank into a ball of light that flew to the wolf pup, transforming into a collar. 

Kosmo let out a sharp bark and jumped at Keith, who caught him with wide eyes. The puppy nuzzled into his arms, and a small but genuine smile slowly spread across the Demon King’s face.

Quest complete.

\-----

“So you kept Lance’s gift?” Shiro asked, eyebrows raised with an annoyingly knowing smile on his lips.

“What was I supposed to do?” Keith muttered. “Leave Kosmo out on the streets?”

He threw the small ball in his hand across the room, and the wolf pup happily chased after it.

“You could have refused the egg before it hatched,” Shiro said. “I’m sure Lance could have sold it for a high price, or gotten a pet himself.”

Keith snorted. “All the more reason to take it. That idiot would probably kill the poor thing by accident.”

“If you say so, your majesty.”

Kosmo brought the ball back, dropping it into Keith’s hand. The Demon King threw it once more, and Kosmo raced across the room.

“Though that doesn’t explain why you kept the ring he gave you,” Shiro added innocently.

Keith stiffened, two spots of color high on his cheeks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course not, your majesty.”

\-----

Lance dismounted his faithful steed Kaltenecker, walking up to the demon tower’s entrance with a bounce in his step.

Ever since he gave Keith his furry new companion a few weeks ago, the Demon King hadn’t killed Lance even once. Even Pidge and Hunk were impressed by this development, and Lance was over the moon.

His good mood fell, however, when he entered the tower. Usually, Nyma would start her speil until she recognized him, but the cat demon was nowhere in sight. Not only that, but the entire tower was eerily silent. 

Unease built inside him as Lance climbed up the stairs. He’d visited countless times now, but this was the first time he found the tower completely empty. There were always demons around to greet Lance or challenge him, or other adventurers trying their luck, but so far Lance hadn’t seen anyone. Had something happened? Were they alright? Was Keith alright? Concern growing, he quickened his pace.

Lance had almost made it to the top when he heard footsteps. He tightened his grip on his bow, but lowered it with a breath of relief when Shiro turned around the corner.

The demon paused, looking at Lance in surprise.

“Lance,” he said, “what are you doing here?”

“Uh, it’s Saturday,” Lance replied. “But more importantly, where is everyone?”

“Oh, we’re closed today.”

“...Closed,” Lance repeated blankly.

“Didn’t you see the sign outside?”

“No,” Lance said. “Is it some sort of demon holiday?”

Shiro grimaced. “Not exactly. Today marks the anniversary of our previous king and queen’s deaths. Keith always takes it pretty hard, so the rest of us agreed to close the tower so he doesn’t have to deal with any adventurers.”

“Oh,” Lance’s heart sank. He never even considered that for Keith to be king, his parents must be dead. “I guess...I’ll go then.”

Shiro gave Lance a considering look.

“Actually,” he said slowly, “maybe you should stay.”

“Really?” Lance asked, straightening up.

Shiro nodded. “Keith might not admit it, but he likes you. Maybe having a friend right now would do him good. Just, uh, don’t tell him I sent you.”

Lance smiled crookedly. “No problem.”

Shiro wished him luck and Lance walked up to the familiar throne room. He cautiously knocked on the doors. When there was no answer, he pushed them open to poke his head inside.

“Keith?” he called quietly. “Are you in here?”

A small knife flew through the air. However, instead of embedding itself into the door by Lance’s head like before, the knife bounced harmlessly against the wall a good three feet away before falling to the floor with a clatter.

Blinking, Lance squinted into the dark room, eventually spotting movement from the shadows by the throne. Gently shutting the door behind him, Lance walked closer.

“...Keith?”

Keith looked up at Lance. He sat on the floor next to his throne, leaning against the chair’s side. His pretty violet eyes had a hazy sheen and his cheeks were pink. Lance stared at the wine bottle clutched in Keith’s hand.

“Are you drunk?”

“No,” Keith scoffed. He took a long pull directly from the bottle.

“Right,” Lance drawled.

He sat down on the dais next to Keith. Kosmo, who had been sitting obediently by his master’s side, hopped into Lance’s lap, and Lance obligingly stroked his fur. The Demon King held out the bottle and Lance accepted it with a shrug. It tasted quite good. He supposed that was to be expected of royalty.

“What are you doing here?” Keith asked. He took the wine back, and Lance watched Keith’s adam’s apple bob up and down as he drank.

“Today is Saturday,” Lance answered.

“Of course it is,” Keith sighed.

The Demon King idly traced the symbols on the wine label with his fingernail, black and slightly pointed.

“Why do you keep coming back?” Keith asked.

“Because I love you,” Lance said simply.

Keith snorted and took another sip of wine.

“It’s true,” Lance said. “I love you.”

“Why?” Keith asked bluntly. “All I ever do is push you away. I’m never nice to you. Why do you even care about me?”

“Because I know you better than that,” Lance replied. “From the moment we met, I knew. You act tough, but your eyes give you away.”

Said eyes regarded him mulishly.

“Yeah?” Keith pressed his lips into a thin line. “What do they say?”

“That you’re lonely,” Lance said. “And I don’t want you to be lonely anymore.”

Keith stared at Lance for a long moment. He glanced down at Kosmo, then back up at Lance. Finally, he turned away, the red of his cheeks a shade darker.

“Tch,” he muttered, “stupid.”

Lance smiled, but didn’t reply. They sat in silence, passing the wine bottle back and forth. Eventually, Keith pulled it from his lips and turned it upside down with a pout. He set the empty bottle aside.

Lance heard a shuffle and a warm weight suddenly pressed against him. Keith’s head tilted to rest on Lance’s shoulder, somehow avoiding stabbing Lance with his horns. Fighting a blush, Lance ran his hand up and down the demon’s back, careful of his wings.

“It’s the anniversary of my parents’ death,” Keith mumbled.

“I know,” Lance said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Keith shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”

Before Lance could think of a good response, Keith asked, “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“You have to promise you won’t laugh,” Keith warned.

“I promise,” Lance said.

“When I was little, I wanted to be an adventurer.”

“Really?”

Keith nodded against Lance’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” he said. “I wanted to travel the world. Go on quests. Help people.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“Are you kidding?” Keith snorted. “I’ve never even been outside this tower.”

“Never?” Lance repeated, surprised.

“It was too dangerous when I was young, and by the time I was powerful enough to protect myself, my parents died and I had to take over as King,” Keith said. “The King has to stay and watch over the tower.”

“Can’t you just, like, take a day off once in a while?”

Keith shook his head and Lance had to watch out for the demon’s horns so he wouldn’t lose an eye.

“Warriors attack our tower every day,” Keith said. “Not very many make it to my floor, but when they do, I have to stop them. What if someone shows up and I’m not here? The battle would be considered forfeit, the tower would be claimed by some stupid human, and my people would lose their home. I can’t risk it. I won’t.”

“Can’t you just close the tower, like you did today?”

“Just because we say the tower is closed, doesn’t mean people will listen,” Keith scoffed. “You got in, didn’t you?”

“Ah, I guess that’s true…” Lance trailed off, deep in thought.

No wonder Keith was lonely. He sat in his throne room all day just waiting for humans to show up so he could fight them, and didn’t dare leave out of responsibility to his subjects. Sure, he had Kosmo now, but it wasn’t like the wolf pup could hold a conversation. Lance visited when he could, but it was still only once a week. Surely there was a way for Keith to leave without putting the other demons in danger?

Lance nodded to himself, filled with newfound purpose. If he truly wanted to make Keith feel less alone, this was the next step.

He was pulled from his musings when the Demon King let out a weary sigh, burrowing closer into Lance’s side. Lance’s heart broke a little at the sound, even as it warmed from the demon’s actions.

“Tell me what it’s like,” Keith murmured. “Outside.”

So Lance did. He spoke in a soft voice about his family’s ranch, and the Adventurer’s Academy, and the town where he grew up. He talked about exploring the Balmera Caves, grinding for hours to get money and experience points. He talked about accepting small quests from villagers, finding a lost pet or defeating a rogue monster.

As Lance talked, Keith’s eyes drifted shut, and his breathing grew steady. Lance looked down and trailed off. He didn’t dare move an inch, but that was alright. He was content to simply sit there and admire the way Keith’s eyelashes fanned against his cheeks, and gaze at his full lips, usually pursed into a frown, now finally relaxed in slumber.

The door cracked open and Shiro poked his head into the room. Lance raised a finger to his lips, and Shiro silently walked closer. Kosmo hopped out of Lance’s lap to pad over to the demon, who rewarded him with a scratch behind his ears. Shiro looked down at the two of them with a smile.

“We should probably get him to bed,” Shiro whispered. “This way.”

He walked around the throne towards the back of the room, Kosmo at his heels. 

Careful not to wake Keith up, Lance slipped his arms under the Demon King’s knees and behind his back under his wings, and rose to follow. Keith curled closer to Lance’s chest with an unintelligible mumble, and Lance willed himself not to explode from cuteness.

Shiro stopped in front of an unmarked section of the back wall. He raised a hand glowing with magic, and the bricks moved this way and that until they opened to form an archway. 

Stepping inside, Lance looked around with open curiosity. He knew on some level that the demon tower had rooms other than the ones used to fight heroes. This was their home, after all. They needed some place to sleep, and eat, and socialize.

But knowing and seeing were two different things. And Keith’s room looked so...normal. Sure, it was impressive as befitting a king, with expensive looking furniture and decor, but there wasn’t anything particularly demonic about it that Lance could see. No evil artifacts or cursed talismans. No torture devices laying around. Even the artwork on the walls was just pleasant scenery of forests and waterfalls.

Lance set Keith down on the large bed, covering him with the plush blankets as Kosmo curled against his master’s side. Taking one last moment to gaze down at Keith’s face, Lance gave in to temptation and reached out to tuck a strand of ebony hair behind Keith’s pointed ear. He wanted desperately to press a kiss to Keith’s temple too, but instead turned to follow Shiro out of the room.

Lance didn’t notice the pair of violet eyes peek open to watch him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance is slowly winning Keith’s heart! You can do it, Lance! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
> 
> Once again, special thanks to my beta Melissa! 
> 
> See you next time! ❀(*´◡`*)❀


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! ヾ(´︶`*)ﾉ♬

The very next day, Lance went to Hunk and Pidge’s shop to explain his plan. Once he was done, his friends exchanged a look.

“Are you sure about this, Lance?” Hunk asked. 

“Yeah, totally,” Lance nodded. “I know I’m asking for a lot, but I’m willing to pay. I’ll grind in the Balmera Caves for a month if I have to!”

“Money’s not what we’re worried about,” Pidge said.

“Then what is?”

“Lance,” Hunk said gingerly, “these items you’re asking for...if they fell into the wrong hands, they could be, y’know, dangerous.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” Lance blinked, “but I’m just gonna give them to Keith.”

Pidge smacked her own face with her palm.

“There’s no talking any sense into him, Hunk,” she sighed. “Let’s just do it and hope we don’t get everyone killed.”

“Thanks guys,” Lance grinned. “You’re the best.”

“It ain’t gonna be cheap,” Pidge warned. “Even with your ‘best friend discount,’ what you’re asking for will take time and a lot of magic.”

"No price is too high for my love's happiness," Lance replied seriously. "How long will it take?"

"At least a month, maybe two," Hunk replied, politely ignoring Pidge as she pretended to throw up. "These are some pretty complicated spells."

Lance pursed his lips, but nodded. "Thanks, guys. I mean it."

Hunk's eyes softened and even Pidge looked less annoyed than before.

"Of course, buddy," Hunk said. "I'm happy you found someone you truly love."

"It'll be an interesting challenge, at least. And who knows," Pidge added wryly, "maybe when the Demon King destroys Altea, he'll keep our shop safe as thanks."

"Keith's not gonna destroy Altea," Lance rolled his eyes. "Even if he wanted to, I'd stop him."

"How?"

"Uh, with the power of love," Lance replied. "Duh."

Hunk chuckled weakly. Pidge pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We're doomed."

\-----

Keith knocked softly on the door. The part of him that hoped the room’s occupant wouldn’t hear him was disappointed when a voice called out. 

“Come in.”

Keith slipped inside, closing the door behind him. Shiro looked up from his book with a smile.

“Good evening, your majesty,” he said. “Is there something you needed?”

Keith bit his lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Not...not as a king,” Keith said, “but as a friend?”

Shiro’s eyes softened. He set his book aside and gestured for Keith to sit next to him.

“Of course, Keith,” Shiro said. “You know I’m always here if you wanna talk. What’s up?”

Keith fidgeted, avoiding the other demon’s hawklike gaze.

“It’s about Lance.”

“Ah,” Shiro’s smile grew. “What about him?”

“I think…” Keith glanced up at Shiro, too many emotions swirling inside of him to parse. “I think he’s really in love with me.”

Shiro stared at him for a long moment.

“Well, _yeah_ ,” he finally said. “Did you just now figure that out?”

Heat rushed to Keith’s face. 

“What,” Shiro continued incredulously, “did you think he fought his way up fifty floors every week as a joke?”

“No!” Keith snapped defensively. “I knew he was serious about courting me, I just...didn’t realize _how_ serious.” 

“How could you not know?!”

Keith glanced away again, his hands fiddling with one of the thin chains that dangled from his outfit. 

“I thought he was just a stupid flirt, and that he’d eventually get bored and leave. But then he went to the Quantum Abyss to bring me Kosmo, and the way he comforted me when I was all messed up over Mom and Dad was…” Keith shrugged helplessly.

Shiro looked up at the ceiling, as though asking the gods to give him strength.

“Well, now that you’ve learned what has been obvious to literally everyone else since day one,” he said, returning his gaze back to Keith, “what do you want to do about it?”

“I don’t know,” Keith hunched his shoulders, curling into himself. “He’s a human. I’m the Demon King. We can’t be together.”

“Why not?” 

“Because we’re enemies!” Keith threw his arms up. “The humans want to drive us out of our home! They’re selfish and only care about getting power and money!”

“Lance isn’t like that though,” Shiro pointed out.

Keith’s arms dropped down into his lap.

“...No,” he said softly. “He’s not.”

Shiro placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder.

“Look,” he said, “I’m not saying you have to do anything drastic, like make peace with the humans, or accept Lance’s hand in marriage.”

Heat returned to Keith’s cheeks. “Mar-”

“But,” Shiro continued, ignoring Keith’s spluttering, “maybe you could start with something small. Like, just getting to know him a bit more.”

Keith bit his bottom lip. “You really think that would be a good idea?”

“I do,” Shiro nodded. “I’m sure it would make Lance happy too.”

Keith’s blush darkened. He averted his gaze so he didn’t have to see Shiro’s knowing look.

“I’ll try.”

\-----

And try, Keith did. Over the next handful of weeks, when Lance visited to talk Keith’s ear off, the Demon King actually paid attention.

Well, okay, Keith had always listened to Lance. It was hard not to when the human rambled nonstop during their battles, and it wasn’t like there was anything else to distract him.

But now Keith _acted_ like he was listening, and even talked back. It was stilted and awkward and Keith kind of wanted the floor to open up and swallow him sometimes, but he slowly improved his social skills. Eventually, it developed to where they had actual conversations, rather than just Lance chatting while Keith nodded with the occasional one-syllable reply. 

Whenever Keith showed interest in what Lance was talking about, the human’s entire being seemed to light up. His smile became so bright, Keith had trouble looking directly at it. He tried looking at Lance’s eyes instead, but that was somehow even worse.

One Saturday afternoon, Lance casually strolled into Keith’s throne room like it was his second home. Keith wasn’t sure what to think about that quite yet.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance greeted cheerfully. Kosmo hopped down from Keith’s lap and raced over to Lance with an excited yip. Lance crouched down to pet him. “Hello to you too, boy! How’s my favorite guard wolf? Eat any humans yet?”

Kosmo barked, wagging his tail.

Keith rolled his eyes and got up to join them.

“Kosmo is still too young to fight adventurers,” he said. “I keep him in my room if any heroes make it up here.”

He had the servants warn him in advance if it looked like a hero other than Lance was about to enter Keith’s floor. He didn’t want Kosmo to get caught in the crossfire. Not to mention, while he might grow into an intimidating beast one day, for now Kosmo was still a fluffy puppy, and Keith had a reputation to uphold.

“That makes sense,” Lance nodded.

He followed Keith back towards the throne so they could sit down on the dais. Keith should probably get the servants to bring them real chairs at this point, but he kind of liked the casualness of sitting side-by-side on the steps.

Kosmo hopped back onto Keith’s lap. Keith stroked his soft fur as he looked up at Lance.

“What did you want to talk about today?”

A small blush rose to Lance’s cheeks. “Actually, I kinda have something I want to show you.”

“Okay,” Keith cocked his head curiously. 

Lance cleared his throat. Looking nervous, he pulled out a mandolin from his inventory.

“I, uh, I’ve been working on my bard skills,” he said. “I’m still only at level six, but I wrote you a song and I’m really excited for you to hear it. If you want, I mean.”

“Oh,” Keith blinked, a small, warm feeling in his chest. “Um, sure, go ahead.”

Lance visibly swallowed. Taking a deep breath, he strummed his fingers across the instrument’s strings.

“It doesn’t really have any words yet,” Lance said, “but the melody goes like this.”

Closing his eyes, Lance began to hum. His voice was low and soothing, perfect for the dulcet notes of the song. Keith soon found his own eyelids falling shut as he swayed slightly to the music.  

The notes faded away, and Keith opened his eyes to see Lance wearing a sheepish grin.

“That’s all I’ve got so far,” he said.

“It’s lovely,” Keith said with a soft smile. 

“Thanks,” Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “I feel like it’s missing something, but I’m not sure what.”

“Hmm,” Keith gave the mandolin a considering look. “I might have an idea.” He reached into his own inventory and pulled out a flute. “May I?”

Lance stared at him before hastily nodding. At Keith’s direction, Lance played the melody once more. Keith listened intently. At the right moment, he raised the flute to his lips and blew. The new accompaniment flowed with the plucked notes and Lance’s voice, soaring high when Lance dipped low, before returning to join him in perfect unison.

The song came to an end. Lance turned to Keith, his face filled with awe.

“That was amazing!” he said. “You figured out a harmony so fast. And your performance was top notch! I didn’t even know you played an instrument.”

His sparkling blue eyes were suddenly much too close. Keith had to lean back or risk being blinded.

“I’m at level ten in pretty much every instrument,” he replied.

“Woah, seriously?” Lance gaped.

Keith shrugged. “When you’re stuck in a room all day for years on end, you pick up a few hobbies.”

“Well, color me impressed,” Lance grinned. He finally moved back from Keith’s personal space. Keith wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or disappointed. “I think you have a backup career if being the Demon King ever falls through.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Really, though,” Lance’s laughter gave way to a soft smile. “Thanks. I wrote that song for you, but turning it into a duet is even better. It makes it our song, y’know?”

Blushing, Keith looked away.

“It still needs an ending,” he muttered. “And lyrics.”

“Yeah,” Lance’s fond gaze didn’t falter, “but I bet we could figure that out together. We make a pretty good team.”

Keith glanced up through his lashes. After a moment, he raised the flute back to his lips.

“Let’s try it again.”

\-----

Lance climbed the tower steps, a smile on his face. Things had been going so well with Keith lately. Lance wasn’t entirely sure what prompted it, but the Demon King now made an effort to actually be nice to Lance. Sure, sometimes he was still snappish or closed off, but Keith was clearly doing his best to change.

He still turned Lance down every time he proposed, but Lance didn’t mind. More than anything else, he was happy they were finally becoming friends.

“Hey, Zethrid,” Lance greeted on the forty-first floor. “I’m ready for our battle.”

To his surprise, Zethrid shook her head.

“Can’t today,” she said. “Not right now, at least. You can go on up.”

Lance blinked. Of all the demons, Zethrid was the one who loved combat the most. In the months he’d visited, not once had she let him pass without a fight.

“Uh, are you...feeling okay?” he asked.

The large ogre demon waved off his concern. “I’m just waiting for my HP to regenerate. It’s gonna take awhile, so you might as well go. I’ll beat you for sure next time.”

Clarity unraveled Lance’s worry. While Zethrid was fairly high-leveled, it wasn’t unheard of for her to lose a battle. It had never happened right before Lance visited, but he supposed it had only been a matter of time.

Lance clapped Zethrid on the shoulder with a grin. “I look forward to it.”

She eyed his hand, but didn’t smack it away or anything, so Lance ran to the stairs with one last wave.

As he continued up the levels, Lance’s good mood began to wane. The higher the floor, the more likely it was for a hero to be defeated, but Lance kept meeting demons who had clearly just lost a battle. 

His concern grew to the point where he couldn’t even appreciate the sight of Lotor, the third most powerful demon in the tower and the only one who still seemed to hate Lance’s guts, slouching against the wall to tend to his wounds.

Lance briefly considered offering him help, but as soon as he started moving towards the demon, Lotor hissed at Lance with a warning glare. Lance held up his hands in a gesture of peace, and hurried up to Shiro’s floor.

He walked into the room and froze.

“Holy crow!” Lance rushed over to the raptor demon’s side. “Are you okay?”

Shiro grimaced. “I’ll live.”

His body was littered in cuts and bruises, and he clutched one of his arms to his chest. Many of the long black feathers that dotted his skin and covered his wings were bent or broken. Maybe it was because less time had passed since his fight, but Shiro’s condition looked much worse than any of the previous demons Lance saw.

Lance procured a healing potion to help speed up the process, which Shiro accepted with a grateful smile.

“Thanks.”

“Heroes?” Lance asked.

Shiro nodded. “You just missed them. They were...strong.”

Few people made it past Shiro, and those who did then had to face the Demon King. But Lance had never seen Shiro in such a bad state, and if such a powerful demon considered them to be that strong, then…

“Keith!” Lance gasped. “I have to help him!”

“What?” Shiro blinked. “Lance, wait-”

But Lance was no longer listening. He spun on his heel and dashed up the stairs. At the top, however, Lance screeched to a halt as three pairs of eyes turned to him. 

Lance had assumed they would already be battling Keith, but it appeared that the group was just standing outside the throne room.

“Who are you?” one of them asked. She was a young woman with black hair and glasses. “Did you make it past the Champion as well?”

“No way,” another said, a young man with short brown hair. “We only just defeated him, he wouldn’t have recovered yet.” The man glared at Lance. “You better not be following us to slip past the monsters and steal our kill.”

“Wait, I recognize you,” the first one said. “Aren’t you Lance? Kinkade spent months trying to beat your archery record.”

Lance suddenly realized he recognized them too. 

“Rizavi, right?” he asked.

Rizavi nodded. She was a mage who attended the Adventurer’s Academy around the same time as Lance. Her companions were students back then, too. The man was James, a swordsman that many considered the most promising candidate to slay the Demon King. The third person, a blond young woman named Leifsdottir, was a rogue known for her quick hands and quicker mind.

Rizavi studied Lance with a considering look before her face brightened.

“Hey, you wanna join our party?” she asked.

Lance blinked. “Uhhh…”

James shot Rizavi a scowl.

“I’m not letting some nobody join us,” he said. “Especially not when we finally made it to the Demon King.”

“Aw, c’mon,” Rizavi pouted. “We lost Kinkade in the last level, and could use another long-ranged fighter to balance out our comp.”

“I said no,” James snapped.

“The Demon King is the most powerful being in all of Altea,” Leifsdottir added in a monotone voice. “It would be unwise to ignore any tactical advantage for the sake of pride.”

“I’m not-” James cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Okay, fine, he can join.”

“Uh, hello?” Lance waved an irritated hand at them. “Anyone wanna ask for _my_ opinion?”

James raised an eyebrow at Lance. “You heard her, this is the best strategy. Don’t you want to be a part of the team that brings peace to Altea?”

Not if it meant killing the love of his life, no. But before Lance could think up an answer that wouldn’t immediately make him sound insane or pin him as a traitor, a notification screen popped up.

_“Rizavi has invited you to her party.”_

Lance hesitated, his mind going a mile a minute. He could just refuse, but then how could he explain following them into the battle? If he joined that would at least give him an excuse to keep an eye on them.

With an internal sigh, he tapped, _“Accept.”_

“Great,” Rizavi chirped. “The plan is pretty simple. You shoot the Demon King from a distance, while James and Leifsdottir attack him up close. I’ll support you all with buffs, and use damaging spells when I can.”

Lance nodded, trying to ignore the icy pit forming in his stomach. 

James gave them a pep talk that was corny even for Lance, filled with words about teamwork and friendship and the glory of Altea, all said with a perfectly straight face. The others must be used to it, because Leifsdottir’s face remained impassive the entire time while Rizavi’s lips only twitched slightly. Lance, on the other hand, had to push his laughter down. Judging by James expression, he wasn’t entirely successful.

“Let’s go,” James finally said, his eyes full of grim determination. 

The others nodded, and he pushed open the ebony doors.

They walked through the large room, tension thick in the air. At the far end, Keith sat on his throne, half bathed in shadows as he watched their approach like a panther eyeing its prey.

“Welcome, heroes,” he drawled once they reached the bottom of the dais. “What brings you to my humble home?”

James raised his sword, pointing it at Keith.

“You know why we’re here, foul beast,” he proclaimed. “Your reign of darkness has gone on long enough! Today we will slay you, and bring peace to the realm!”

“Is that so?” Keith chuckled, sweeping his gaze across the group. “Well, we’ll see about that-”

The Demon King froze, blinking as he finally noticed Lance trying unsuccessfully to hide behind Leifsdottir. His aloof persona slipped, replaced by confusion.

Lance hastily shook his head at Keith. He wished he could communicate directly, but for now he could only hope Keith would play along.

Blinking again, the Demon King seemed to regain his composure and turned his attention back to James.

“Many have tried to defeat me,” he continued. “All have failed.”

Keith rose from his throne. He pulled out his sword, an intimidating weapon made of dark, twisting metal that still glowed faintly with the magic in which it was forged. The Demon King held it aloft, tilting his chin up in challenge.

“Let’s see how you measure up.”

\-----

Keith threw himself into the battle. Usually he enjoyed fighting heroes, since it was a break from his otherwise monotonous day, but this time Keith’s mind was somewhere else.

Why the fuck was Lance with them?!

Had he betrayed Keith? Were all these months together a ruse to figure out Keith’s weaknesses so that Lance and these other heroes could finally defeat him?

No, that couldn’t be it. Lance may be an idiot, but his feelings for Keith were real. Keith knew Lance would never turn against him like this, so why was he helping these people?

Oh well, speculating about it was just driving Keith in circles. He’d just have to defeat them and then demand answers. 

However, this team was surprisingly skilled. The swordsman met every blow of Keith’s sword, and whenever Keith thought he was about to gain the upper hand, the blond rogue jumped in to save her friend. Their mage kept healing them too, and Keith had to stop now and then to swat away Lance’s arrows. Combined with his distracted state of mind, Keith was in a rougher state than he had been in a long time.

Still, it wasn’t nearly enough to defeat him.

Keith took a moment to clear his thoughts, then rushed back in. He caught the swordsman off guard, managing to land a few blows. The blond rogue tried to attack Keith from behind, but Keith was ready. With a powerful sweep of his wings, Keith flew high up into the air and raised his arms to summon a huge ball of dark energy.

The humans scrambled out of the way as Keith hurled the ball at the ground, its force enough to shake the whole tower. Keith hovered, waiting for the dust and debris to settle.

“Rizavi, now!”

Before Keith could locate the shout’s source, a ribbon of light shot towards him. It swiftly wrapped around Keith, pinning his limbs and wings and causing him to crash to the ground.

Keith struggled to escape, but the ribbon was made of pure magic. After that last attack, it would take at least a few minutes for him to regain enough mana to break free.

Which, he realized, was exactly what the heroes had been waiting for.

A worn pair of boots stepped out of the dust cloud to stop before Keith. The demon’s gaze travelled upward to glare at the swordsman.

“Status report,” the human called out, careful not to take his eyes off Keith.

The mage tumbled into view, coughing slightly.

“He got Leifsdottir,” she grimaced. “And that spell used up the last of my mana. If we’re doing this, you better make it quick.”

“Understood.”

The swordsman stepped closer, raising his blade. Keith bared his fangs.

“Do your worst,” Keith snarled.

“With pleasure,” the swordsman said.

He drew his arm back to plunge the blade into Keith’s heart when a sudden cry caught his attention. He and Keith looked over to see the mage fall to the ground and vanish in a puff of smoke, leaving nothing behind except some loot.

The swordsman gaped. “What the...?”

An arrow shot through the air and pierced the swordsman dead center in his chest. Keith watched with satisfaction as the human’s HP dropped to zero before he too disappeared.

“Keith!”

Lance burst from the dust cloud, falling to his knees next to Keith.

“Are you alright?” Lance’s hands fluttered around Keith like he wanted to help release him but wasn’t sure how. “I nearly had a heart attack when you fell out of the sky!”

“I’m fine.” Keith rolled his eyes. He shuffled around, trying to sit upright. Lance scrambled to help him. “No thanks to you.”

“Excuse me?” Lance frowned. “I’m the one that just saved your ass.”

“I had it handled.”

“You look pretty helpless to me.”

Keith quirked an eyebrow and checked his mana gauge. He elongated his pointed black fingernails and easily tore through the magic ribbon.

Lance blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Besides, I still have over half my HP left,” Keith scoffed. “Even if you hadn’t jumped in, there’s no way they could have...”

Keith’s voice trailed off as he felt something brush his face. Blinking, Keith glanced between the hand cupping his cheek and Lance’s somber eyes.

“Sorry,” Lance said quietly. “I just...I was so scared. For a second there, I really thought I was gonna lose you.”

Something stirred inside of Keith’s chest. Not sure how to respond, the demon merely looked back at Lance with wide eyes.

“Can I…” Lance bit his lip. “Can I hold you? Just for a minute?”

Heat flooded to Keith’s cheeks and he averted his gaze. After a long moment, he gave Lance the tiniest of nods.

Two arms wrapped around Keith, one at his waist and the other right above his wings, drawing him against a firm chest. Keith was stiff at first, but gradually relaxed into the hug. The hand splayed out across his shoulder blades travelled up to cradle the back of Keith’s neck, fingers tangling in his long black hair.

Keith could barely remember the last time someone held him like this. Like he was someone precious. Someone to protect.

Slowly, very slowly, Keith raised his hands to tentatively grasp the back of Lance’s tunic. Lance’s embrace tightened, bringing Keith impossibly closer, and the human let out a shaky breath as he tucked his face into the crook of Keith’s neck.

Keith’s eyes fluttered shut.

It was so warm.

\-----

Lance knew it was only a matter of time before James' group confronted him. He spent all night trying to think up a good excuse for his apparent betrayal. It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to, but Lance was ready when they finally cornered him a few days later outside the tavern. 

"Well?" Rizavi asked, her usual cheerful smile replaced by a hurt scowl. "Care to explain yourself?"

Lance swept his gaze over the rest of the group. James looked the most upset, not that that was any surprise. Leifsdottir's normally blasé expression had a slight pinch between her eyebrows. Kinkade didn't seem to know what to think, his face shifting between anger and doubt. With a pang of guilt, Lance remembered what Rizavi said about Kindkade trying to beat Lance's record, and wondered if the other archer looked up to Lance.

Lance hoped not. That would make what he was about to say next even harder.

Donning a nonchalant air paired with a smirk that was more than a little smarmy, Lance shrugged.

"Not much to say, really," he said. "Your leader had the right idea all along. I was following you guys to get past the demons, and when it looked like you got the upper hand on the Demon King, I decided to grab the glory for myself."

It was gonna suck to be known as a kill stealer, but it was still better than a traitor.

"Unfortunately for me," Lance continued under the judgemental stares, "the Demon King's HP was not quite as low as I thought, so I wasn't able to finish him off."

"He killed you?" Rizavi asked.

Lance nodded with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I didn't stand a chance."

"Then why didn't you appear in the respawn zone?" Leifsdottir cut in.

Lance froze. Shit. He hadn't considered that they might have waited there to try to confront him earlier. 

Thinking fast, Lance grimaced and looked away, mentally preparing himself for another blow to his character. 

"Okay, fine, you got me," he sighed. "The Demon King didn't kill me. When things started to get hairy, I ran away."

As scorn and disappointment flashed in their eyes, Lance reminded himself that he was doing this to keep Keith safe and keep himself out of prison. It didn’t help. Kinkade in particular looked like Lance just kicked a puppy right in front of him.

However, there was one pair of eyes that didn't waver. 

"I don't believe you," James said.

The others, including Lance, looked at him in surprise. Lance scrambled to recover, crossing his arms with a haughty huff.

"What's not to believe?" he asked. 

"If you were some random guy who betrayed us that would be one thing," James shook his head, eyes scrutinizing, "but you're not. You're the best archer in Altea, and you've made a reputation for yourself."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "That's funny coming from someone who called me a nobody the other day."

"After your little stunt, I asked around about you," James said, unfazed. "There were a few people with less than flattering opinions, mostly former classmates from the academy, but on the whole people claimed you were a man of honor. Several townsfolk talked about how you took on their quests when everyone else thought it was below their pay grade."

It was true. Lance's skills were high enough that he could have the pick of the litter when it came to side quests, but unlike most adventurers he rarely paid any attention to the rewards. Lance just liked helping people.

He never thought his altruism would come back to bite him like this.

"And that's not the only thing that contradicts your story," James continued. "There's a rumor that you've ventured into the demon tower every week for almost a year. I asked the healers at the respawn zone, and they confirmed that you used to show up there all the time."

"What's your point?"

"You're clearly no stranger to the tower, so why join our party?"

Lance shrugged, desperately grasping at straws in his mind. "Maybe I got tired of getting killed all the time and decided to switch up my strategy. Tagging along with you guys to steal your kill seemed like a better plan."

"No," James said slowly. "You're hiding something."

"Oh yeah?" Lance raised a challenging eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know," James studied Lance like he was trying to solve a puzzle, "but I'm going to find out."

Without another word, James turned on his heel and marched away. His friends exchanged a look, glanced suspiciously back at Lance, then followed their leader.

Once they were finally gone, Lance slumped back against the wall. That had been more draining than some boss fights. He'd have to be careful going forward, now that James and his posse wanted to keep an eye on him, but on the plus side maybe this meant they wouldn't spread the rumor that Lance was a dirty kill stealer.

With a heavy sigh, Lance picked himself up to go home and take a nice long nap.

Honestly, the things he did for love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James Griffin: Ace Attorney
> 
> Sorry there wasn’t quite as much klance in this chapter, but I promise the next one will more than make up for it ;)
> 
> Once again, special thanks to my beta Melissa! You da best!
> 
> See you next time! ❀(*´◡`*)❀


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing I have dental insurance because I got about six cavities writing this chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy! *:ﾟ*｡⋆ฺ(*´◡`)

The ebony doors had barely shut behind Lance when he blurted out, "I have a gift for you."

Perched upon his throne, looking intimidating and beautiful as always, Keith raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Hello to you too," he said.

Lance flushed, chagrined, but couldn't contain his excitement as he hurried over. It had taken almost two whole months, but Hunk and Pidge finally finished making the items Lance commissioned, and he couldn't wait another second to give them to Keith.

The Demon King took in Lance's expression and let out a slightly exasperated sigh, though Lance was pleased to note it held a tinge of fondness.

"Alright, fine," Keith said. "What is it?"

Grinning, Lance presented the first item. Keith took the delicate gold pendant with curious eyes. Demons did love treasure.

"It's pretty," Keith acknowledged. "What does it do? I can sense powerful magic."

"It's an illusion spell," Lance explained. "As long as you wear that, you'll appear human."

Keith's head snapped up. Illusions were among the most difficult kinds of magic, and usually could only be done by using a potion (which lasted a limited amount of time and often came with annoying side effects) or by casting a spell that constantly drained the user's mana. An item that carried the illusion spell _for_ you was unheard of.

Luckily for Lance, both his best friends were geniuses. 

"I was thinking about what you said," Lance continued as he rubbed the back of his neck, a faint blush on his cheeks. "How you've never been outside the tower before. With this, no one will recognize you as the Demon King, and you can explore and see anything you want without worrying about being attacked."

"...That's very kind of you, Lance," Keith said, "but you know that's not the only reason I can't leave."

"I know," Lance dug into his pouch and pulled out the second item. "That's why I also got you this."

Keith hesitantly took the handheld mirror. 

"It's part of a pair," Lance showed him another identical mirror. "You can use them to communicate with whoever has the other one. I already talked to Shiro, and he agreed to keep one to let you know if any adventurers start to get close to the top floor. That way you could rush back in time to stop them."

"I…" Keith stared at the mirror, looking a bit overwhelmed. "I don't know…"

Reigning in his enthusiasm, Lance stepped forward to take both of Keith's hands.

"Please, Keith," he said softly. "Let me do this for you."

Keith looked back at Lance, eyes still filled with uncertainty. Lance gave his hands a reassuring squeeze.

"We don't have to go right away," he added. "You can take some time to think it over. And, of course, we can come back any time, even if Shiro doesn't call."

Those cute little fangs poked out to bite at Keith's bottom lip.

"You…" Keith's cheeks turned pink as he averted his gaze. "You'll stay with me?"

Lance’s heart melted. "Of course."

Keith met his eyes again, and said, "Okay."

\-----

Keith took the pendant and a set of human clothes Lance brought for him into his room to change. When he reemerged, Lance couldn't help but stare.

He'd always known the Demon King was beautiful, but there was something about Keith’s new human form that was strangely…charming. He didn't look that different, really. His horns, wings, and tail were gone, and his black leather clothing had been replaced by the red cotton of a typical swordsman. For the final touch, Keith pulled his long black hair into an adorable ponytail. Lance wanted to admire it and mess it up at the same time.

Seeing Lance's stare, Keith pouted and said, "What?"

"I knew you were shorter than me," Lance teased.

Blushing, Keith scowled down at the flat soled traveller's boots.

"Shut up."

They stopped by Shiro's floor to drop off the mirror and say goodbye. After a full ten minutes of Shiro assuring Keith he had everything handled, and yes, the other demons knew what was going on, and no, the tower wouldn’t fall after one day without him, the feathered demon all but pushed them out the door.

The tower gate shut behind them with a loud clang. Lance grinned and started walking. 

"So, where do you wanna go first?"

When no answer came, Lance turned back around. 

"Keith?"

Keith stood stock still, his violet eyes wide. Lance's face softened. He walked back and held out his hand.

Keith looked down at the offered hand for a long moment. Taking a deep breath, Keith slipped his own hand into Lance's, and took a step forward.

It was like a coil of tension had been cut loose. Keith's shoulders gradually relaxed as they walked down the path from the tower, allowing Lance to intertwine their fingers.

"Where do you wanna go first?" Lance asked again.

Keith shrugged. "I've always been curious about the human capital." 

"Let's go then," Lance said. "I can show you around."

Keith nodded with a small smile.

\-----

Keith knew he must look silly. He kept stopping to examine things that, judging from Lance's amusement, were perfectly normal to other people. It wasn't Keith's fault he'd never seen a babbling brook before! What was he supposed to do, _not_ dip his feet into it?

As they got closer to town, however, Keith tried to reign himself in. He'd never live it down if he was outed as a demon because he couldn't stop gawking at things.

Keith soon discovered it was easier said than done. He'd never seen so many humans in one place before, all of them cheerfully bustling about. He'd certainly never seen human children, but there were whole gaggles of them playing in the streets, and they didn't even scream or run away when they caught Keith staring. One little girl waved at him with a bright grin. Blinking, Keith waved back.

Someone suddenly bumped against Keith's shoulder, nearly knocking him off his feet. A long arm wound around Keith's waist, pulling him flush against a firm chest.

"Careful," Lance said. "It gets pretty crowded around here this time of day. Let's go inside and wait out the rush."

Keith nodded and followed Lance to a nearby tavern. He didn’t want to risk the crowd separating them, so Keith didn’t say anything about the hand still on his hip. That was definitely the only reason.

They'd just settled at a table in the corner when a voice rang out.

"Hey, Lance!"

Two humans came over to them. One was large, with dark hair and a kind smile that belied his size. The other was laughably tiny in comparison, with blonde hair and amber eyes half hidden behind a pair of glasses.

"Oh, hey guys," Lance greeted. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"That's our line," the shorter one said. "Shouldn't you be off 'wooing the love of your life,' or whatever?"

"Uh, yeah, about that," Lance chuckled. "Guys, this is Keith."

The two humans stared. Keith tried his best to look aloof and not like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

"I didn't expect him to use it so quickly," the shorter one said. Her eyes narrowed. "I also thought he'd be bigger."

Keith scowled. 

"Um, excuse you," Lance said. "Keith is the perfect size."

Against his will, Keith's glare turned into a pout, his cheeks oddly warm.

"Awww," the bigger human cooed.

Keith was very glad no one else knew who he was. His reputation would be ruined.

The shorter human stuck out her hand. "I'm Pidge. And that's Hunk. We made your amulet."

"Oh," Keith hesitantly shook Pidge's hand. "Um, thanks."

With a somewhat manic glint in her eyes, Pidge leaned into Keith's personal space.

"How is it holding up? Have you noticed any side effects? You look pretty human to me, but I've never seen your true form so I don't have a basis for comparison."

"Uhhh," Keith blinked rapidly and looked to the others for help. 

"Pidge, leave him alone," Lance pulled Keith away and protectively tucked him against his side. Keith decided to allow it for now. "You can do your nerd shit later."

"Fine," Pidge pouted.

The bigger human, Hunk, sat down next to them.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Keith," he said warmly, holding out his hand. "Lance has told us a lot about you."

After a short pause, Keith shook hands and nodded. "You too."

Hunk smiled, seemingly unbothered by Keith's awkwardness. 

The trio chatted amicably. Keith listened in silence, slowly growing more at ease. He had worried at first that these new humans would try to trick Keith into giving up information about his weaknesses or something, but they never did. Hunk and Pidge occasionally asked him a question, but it was always just to include him in the conversation.

After a while, they all decided to get another round of drinks. Keith offered to fetch them, wanting to stretch his legs.

As Keith was trying to figure out how the carry four mugs of ale at once without magic, someone bumped into him from behind. 

"Oh, my apologies," a voice said.

Keith turned around to see a tall young man with brown hair. He looked vaguely familiar, but the Demon King couldn't immediately place why.

The young man blinked down at him. Keith tried not to fidget under the weight of his stare.

"I'm sorry," the man said, "have we met?"

Keith's eyes widened a fraction. He recognized this guy now. It was the leader of that group of adventurers Lance had betrayed to save Keith.

"Uh, no I don't think so," Keith lied. He quickly ducked his head to try to obscure his face with his hair. The amulet hadn't changed the color of Keith's eyes, and he'd been told by Lance multiple times that they were ‘beautifully unique.’

"Oh," the man said. He cleared his throat and held out his hand. "James Griffin."

Humans sure liked to shake hands, Keith thought, as he returned the gesture and introduced himself.

James offered Keith a small grin. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Keith glanced at the four mugs still sitting on the bar. The swordsman followed his gaze and the faint blush on James’ cheeks darkened. 

“I guess you’ve got it covered,” he said. “Maybe some other time?”

Keith cocked his head, nonplussed. "Why-?"

"Hey, Keith," Lance's arm suddenly looped around Keith's shoulders. "You were taking a while, so I thought I'd come make sure you didn't get lost."

Keith frowned. "How would I get lost in a single room?"

Lance merely laughed a little too brightly.

James eyed Lance with obvious distaste. Lance ignored him to grab two of the mugs of ale.

"Let me help you with these. Pidge and Hunk are waiting."

Without another word, Lance started back toward their table. Keith offered James a small shrug, picking up the remaining mugs.

"Uh, nice to meet you," he said.

James' suspicious gaze travelled from Lance's back to meet Keith's eyes. "Yeah," he said slowly. "You too."

\-----

When Lance saw James talking to Keith, he nearly had a heart attack. As one of the few humans to have ever met Keith face-to-face, James could have outed him as the Demon King, putting Keith’s life in jeopardy.

Despite Lance’s fears, James didn’t seem to recognize Keith. He did, however, try to hit on him. A petty, insecure part of Lance’s brain found that even worse.

But, thankfully, when Lance swooped in to rescue his beloved, James gave up without any fuss. Lance and Keith stayed to chat a bit more with Hunk and Pidge, though Lance remained tense until James finally left the tavern. 

After bidding his friends goodbye, Lance and Keith made their way through town. 

“What do you wanna do next?” Lance asked, all thoughts of James long since forgotten. 

Keith tilted his head in thought. It was unfairly cute.

“You’ve talked about going on short adventures a lot,” he finally said. “Could we do that?”

“You wanna do a side quest?” Lance blinked, surprised. “Uh, sure, if you don’t think it would be too boring.”

He led Keith to the closest Adventurers' Guild building. Inside, a handful of people were gathered around a large notice board covered with requests. 

Lance scanned the pinned papers with a sharp eye. He wanted a quest that would impress Keith, but wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. After some searching, he spotted the perfect one. Lance reached out to grab the parchment, when someone’s hand suddenly slammed down on top of it.

“Well, well,” a familiar voice drawled. “If it isn’t our resident sharpshooter.”

Lead formed in Lance’s stomach as he tried to return the mocking look with cool indifference. “Hi, Haxus.”

Haxus smirked. “What are you doing poaching little quests like this? Shouldn’t you be on your way to defeat the Demon King?”

The other members of Haxus’s group snickered. 

“I’m not poaching,” Lance scowled. “I’m a member of the Guild same as everyone else.”

“Oh, sure you are,” Haxus agreed in a patronizing tone, “but aren’t quests like these beneath you? You’re the destined hero of Altea, after all.”

The laughter grew louder. Lance opened his mouth to retort when something small and shiny suddenly flew between them.

_Thunk!_

Haxus looked over at the notice board to see a throwing knife embedded a hair’s breadth away from his finger. Blanching, Haxus snatched his hand away, cradling it against his chest.

Keith walked up to retrieve his knife, and pulled the quest parchment with it. Wordlessly, he handed Lance the paper, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him out of the building.

They walked for a good fifteen minutes, leaving the bustling town for the quiet of the forest. Keith’s violet eyes looked back at him.

“You gonna tell me what that was all about?”

Lance pursed his lips, avoiding Keith’s gaze.

“Who were those guys?” Keith asked.

Lance sighed. “Just some old classmates. We...didn’t get along. Still don’t.”

“I can see that,” Keith said dryly. 

Lance readjusted Keith’s grip so they were holding hands. Keith squeezed back, and Lance finally found the courage to speak.

“This is gonna sound really stupid, but when I was training at the Adventurer’s Academy, I used to talk all the time about how I’d be the one to defeat the Demon King and save Altea,” Lance said. “I was just so convinced that it was my destiny, y’know? And I was good at what I did, so it wasn’t completely baseless. Everyone said I was the best archer in the kingdom.”

Keith studied Lance’s face. “But?”

“But,” Lance grimaced, “it didn’t matter how good I was, or how much I believed in myself. All the heroes of legend are swordsmen, or maybe mages if they’re powerful enough. An archer is a support class.”

Lance kicked at a small stone out of his path. It was childish, but made him feel a little bit better.

“I tried being a swordsman, but it just didn’t feel right,” he continued. “So I decided I’d be the first hero archer instead. But, I guess I wasn’t very convincing. People still make fun of me sometimes, like you saw back there, always asking why I haven’t defeated the Demon King yet.” Lance let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “That’s part of the reason why I was so determined to fight you.”

“That’s stupid,” Keith said bluntly.

Lance hunched his shoulders. “I told you it was-”

“No, not you,” Keith interrupted. “Them.”

Lance froze. “What?”

Brought to a halt by their linked hands, Keith spun around, surprising Lance with the amount of fire in his eyes.

“They’re stupid,” Keith repeated. “Who cares how you fight, or what weapon you use? Lance, you’ve made it to my floor more times than anyone ever has! Those humans who made fun of you haven’t made it even once.”

Hiding a bashful blush, Lance scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Well, you guys kinda just let me up nowadays.”

“Yeah,” Keith rolled his eyes, “but you had to earn it first. How many times did you defeat Shiro before he started waving you through?”

“Uh, I dunno,” Lance raised his eyes skyward in thought. “Like, six?”

Keith shot him a pointed look.

“You really think I could be a hero?” Lance asked.

“The only reason you haven’t defeated the Demon King is because you’re an idiot and fell in love with him instead,” Keith stated matter-of-factly.

A grin spread across Lance’s face. Keith seemed to realize what he just said, and he quickly averted his gaze with a small blush.

“Anyway, are we doing this quest or not?” he asked.

Lance looked down at the parchment, scanning the finer details. His smile slipped away.

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked.

“Sorry,” Lance frowned. “I didn’t realize this quest required an Eyeglass of Veracity. That might make things difficult.”

“You don’t have one?”

“No…” Lance quickly brightened, “but my sister Veronica might. We could swing by my family’s ranch and ask to borrow it. It shouldn’t take long.”

Keith agreed and they went back into town, using a fast travel gate to warp closer to the ranch. As they walked through the fields toward the large house, Keith frequently stopped to examine the different crops and animals on either side of the path. He seemed particularly fascinated by the goats.

“It’s the horns,” Lance said sagely. “They look like yours.”

Keith shot him a dirty look. “My horns do not look like a goat’s. They’re dragon horns.”

“Don’t worry,” Lance consoled, patting Keith on the head, “You’re still intimidating, even with cute little goat horns.”

“I’ll show _you_ intimidating.”

Keith swiped at him. Lance managed to dodge just in time, and took off running. Keith quickly gave chase as they sprinted down the path.

Finally, Lance came to a stop in front of the house, breathless from both the running and from laughter. Keith, however, apparently didn’t get the memo that their game had ended, and tackled Lance to the ground at full speed.

“Oof!” Lance landed on his back with Keith hovering over him, knees straddling his hips. “Okay, okay, I surrender.”

Keith stared down at him with narrowed violet eyes. 

“I take it all back,” Lance hastily added. “You’re very intimidating. The most fearsome demon in the land, cute horns and all.”

“My horns are not cute,” Keith pouted.

Lance opened his mouth to tell Keith in no uncertain terms that everything about him was cute, when the front door opened.

“Lance?” Veronica looked down at the two of them in confusion. “What are you doing back so early? And who’s this?”

Keith seemed to finally realize the position they were in. His face turned beet red and he jumped off of Lance like he’d been electrocuted. Grinning, Lance got up at a much more sedate pace.

“This is my friend, Keith,” he said. “We’re going on a quest together, and I wanted to ask if I could borrow your Eyeglass of Veracity.”

Veronica raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

“Sure,” she said. “You'll have to help me look for it though.”

Lance and Keith went into the house. The demon’s embarrassment seemed to have abated somewhat as he looked around with open curiosity. 

“Wait here,” Lance told him. “I’ll be right back.”

Keith nodded, and Lance followed Veronica upstairs to her bedroom. He wrinkled his nose at the mess.

“Did a tornado spell go off in here?”

“If you wanna get the Eyeglass sometime today, I suggest less talking and more looking,” Veronica said.

Lance pulled a face, but obediently began his search. Thinking about it as a puzzle helped, and Lance soon unearthed the magic item with a triumphant, “Ah ha!”

Lance hurried back downstairs. “Okay, Keith, let’s get out of here.”

Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, his grin froze at the sight before him.

“Oh, there you are, Lance,” Marco waved him over. “I was just talking to your friend. Keith, right?”

Wide-eyed, Keith nodded. Marco didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, and slung an arm around Lance’s neck.

“Now be honest, Lance. Is Keith the reason you’ve been going off every week?” 

Keith paled, and Lance probably didn’t look much better.

“W-what do you mean?” Lance chuckled nervously.

Marco rolled his eyes, using his grip on Lance to pull him down and roughly ruffle his hair. Lance flailed with an indignant squawk.

“Oh, c’mon,” Marco said. “You can’t really expect us to believe you’ve been going to the demon tower every week for a year. No one is that stupid.”

Keith snorted. Lance shot him a betrayed look.

“I knew all along that you were secretly courting someone,” Marco continued, “and now you’ve finally brought him home to meet the family!”

The mirth on Keith’s face transformed into alarm. Lance didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Marco wasn’t exactly wrong, since Lance had been trying to court Keith, but the last thing Lance wanted right now was to subject Keith to his siblings. He'd probably never leave his tower again.

“That’s not, uh…”

Before Lance could finish, a new voice joined them.

“What’s all the commotion?” Lance’s mother, Lucia, stepped out of the living room. Spotting them, her eyes lit up. “Oh, Lance, you’re home. And who’s this? A friend?”

Lance opened his mouth, but Marco cut in, “This is Keith. He’s the one Lance has been sneaking off to visit.”

“Marco!” With a scowl, Lance finally wrestled out of his brother’s hold.

Lucia’s eyes became even brighter as she walked over to Keith.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Keith,” she said. “I’m Lance’s mother, Lucia.”

“Um,” Keith shot Lance a mildly panicked look. When Lance merely shrugged, he turned back to her. “Nice to meet you too…?”

His awkward greeting didn’t seem to faze Lucia. If anything, she looked oddly charmed by it. Lance could relate.

“You’ll be staying for dinner, I hope?” she asked.

Keith sent Lance another look, and he swooped in to the Demon King’s rescue.

“Sorry, Mamá,” Lance said. “We were actually just leaving for a quest.”

“Surely it can wait an hour or two,” Lucia implored. “I want to get to know the person you’ve spent so many months wooing.”

Both Lance and Keith blushed bright red. Lucia patted Keith’s hand with a smile.

“He’s been very secretive, you know,” she told him in a conspiractory tone. “Every time we asked, he’d always say he was going to the demon tower, but then he’d come back with his head in the clouds. Obviously a symptom of young love, and not fighting demons.”

“Obviously,” Keith agreed weakly.

Lucia slipped her arm through Keith’s and began leading him toward the dining room.

“Now, tell me all about yourself, dear.”

\-----

Keith thought he might actually accept Lance's marriage proposal if it meant continued access to Lucia's cooking.

Not that the meals prepared by his servants were bad by any means, but Keith quickly discovered home-cooked food had a special quality that he couldn't define.

He and the McClain family all sat around a large table covered with dishes. Keith knew from their conversations that Lance had a large family, but seeing them all in person was somewhat overwhelming. His parents, grandparents, four siblings, and niece and nephew created a constant stream of noise, talking over one another about various topics, fighting over certain dishes, and teasing each other whenever the opportunity arose.

It was different from anything Keith had ever experienced, but...he didn’t hate it.

"So," Lance's father, Hector, smiled at Keith, "how did you two meet?"

Keith froze, his fork hovering halfway to his lips. At a loss of what kind of lie would be believable to a family of humans, Keith looked towards Lance for guidance. 

"Uhhh," Lance stared back, looking equally off-kilter. "Keith is a swordsman. We met while battling through the demon tower, which I do still go to, thank you very much," he sent a pointed look at Marco. 

Veronica quirked an eyebrow. "So you guys meet every week to battle demons together?"

"Well," Lance scrubbed his hand through his hair, making it even messier than it already was, "it started out that way. But nowadays we mostly just hang out."

"In the demon tower?"

"...Keith likes fighting," Lance replied, his voice lilting up at the end to almost make it sound like a question. "He's, uh, very dedicated to his work."

Heads turned to Keith, who shrugged and nodded. It was true enough. He just usually fought humans, not demons. 

A small tug on his sleeve diverted Keith's attention. He turned to see Lance's niece, Nadia, staring up at him with big eyes.

"Have you faced lots of demons?" she asked.

Hesitantly, Keith nodded.

"Aren't they scary?"

Keith blinked. He glanced up at Lance then back down to Nadia.

"Sometimes at first," he finally answered. "But you get used to them after awhile."

Hell, Lance got so used to demons, he became friends with most of them.

"Which demon is the scariest?" Lance's nephew, Sylvio, piped up. "It's the Champion, right? I heard his feathers are as sharp as knives, and he can make you go deaf with a single shriek!"

Keith blinked again. Before he could reply, Nadia leaned forward to glare at Sylvio.

"No, dummy," she snapped. "The Demon King is obviously scarier! He eats kids and then grinds their bones up to make toothpaste!"

Lance stared at his niece and nephew in horror. He looked over at Keith, trepidation clear on his face.

Despite his best efforts, a peel of laughter burst from Keith's lips. Hunching over, Keith clutched his stomach as his shoulders shook with mirth. Once he'd finally calmed down, Keith wiped a tear from his eye and grinned at the two baffled children. 

“The King is the strongest of all the demons,” he said, “but I’d say the Champion is definitely scarier.”

Sylvio pumped his fist while Nadia pouted. Sylvio stuck out his tongue, which prompted a new squabble over who got the last slice of ham.

Chuckling, Keith looked back up at Lance. His breath hitched.

Keith had become familiar with many of Lance’s expressions these past months. Lance wore his heart on his sleeve. Since their first meeting, Lance had looked at Keith with countless emotions: awe, hope, dejection, determination, fondness, happiness, love.

But right now, the way Lance looked at Keith was new. Or maybe not new, but simply _more_ than ever before. More than fond. More than happy. His smile was soft, and his eyes were filled with something Keith couldn’t name. Something more than just love. Something like a promise of forever.

Unable to bear the weight of those blue eyes any longer, Keith averted his gaze, allowing himself to be distracted by a conversation with Veronica. 

Even so, the warm feeling in his chest remained.

\-----

By the time they escaped dinner, the sun was already low on the horizon.

“Looks like we won’t have time for that quest after all,” Lance frowned. “I’m sorry.”

Keith shook his head. “Don’t be. I had fun.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Keith offered him a shy smile. “I’ve never had such a lively meal before. It was...nice.”

“Lively, huh?” Lance chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”

As they made their way back to the tower, Lance pulled up his quest log. 

“It looks like this quest has a month long deadline," he said. "If you wanted to, we could still complete it before then.”

Lance studied Keith’s thoughtful expression with bated breath. Despite the demon’s assurances, a small part of Lance feared he had messed up somehow, and Keith was going to lock himself away in his tower once again.

To his relief, Keith smiled and said, “I’d like that.”

They continued their journey in companionable silence. As they walked, Lance couldn’t help but admire Keith from the corner of his eye. The setting sun cast a warm glow upon Keith’s skin, bathing him in light that made him look otherworldly despite his human appearance.

Keith caught his gaze and shot Lance a questioning look. Lance merely smiled and took Keith’s hand in his own.

Once they arrived, Lance insisted on walking Keith up to his floor. Standing in front of the familiar ebony doors, Lance gave Keith’s hand one last squeeze before letting go.

“I’ll see you next week,” he said.

Keith nodded. He stepped into the throne room, and turned back to Lance. Keith’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

Lance waited patiently. Finally, Keith spoke.

“Thank you,” he said. “I had a really good time today.”

Before Lance could return the sentiment, Keith leaned forward and pressed his lips to Lance’s cheek. Lance froze, mind going blank.

Keith quickly pulled back, bright red. 

“Um, good night,” he said a little too loudly before slamming the door in Lance’s face.

Lance stood there, staring at the ebony wood without seeing it. After what felt like an eternity, a slow smile grew on his face.

It didn’t fade the entire way back home. 

\-----

That night, Keith laid in bed with Kosmo curled up at his feet. 

He rolled over onto his side, reaching under his clothes to pull out the delicate gold chain that always hung around his neck. Eyes half-lidded and soft with sleep, Keith stared at the ring Lance had given him so long ago. 

He drifted off into slumber still clutching it in his hand.

\-----

Miles away, a human swordsman jolted awake. James surged upright, eyes wide and heart racing.

“It was him,” he gasped. “The Demon King.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic started out as Mage & Demon Queen but somehow turned into Tangled. I have no regrets.
> 
> Some of you may have caught it, but the Eyeglass of Veracity is a not-so-subtle nod to the Lens of Truth. You can’t expect me to have a video game au and not make at least a few Zelda references, haha.
> 
> Once again, special thanks to my beta, Melissa!
> 
> See you next time! ❀(*´◡`*)❀


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Lance gazed out the window with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Hey, Lance, can you hand me that hammer?"

Still admiring the fluffy clouds and blue sky, Lance handed over the requested tool.

Hunk looked down and blinked. "...Lance, this is a wrench."

Lance just sighed in response, his heart singing along with the chirping birds.

"It's no use, Hunk," Pidge said, handing her friend the correct item. "You know how he gets. And I thought it was bad when he first met Keith."

"What do you think happened last night?" Hunk asked. His hand flew up to his mouth with a loud gasp. "Did Keith finally accept his proposal?!"

"Nah," Pidge flapped her hand dismissively. "If that was the case, Lance would be running around making wedding arrangements. They probably just made out or something gross like that."

Lance finally snapped out of his daydream long enough to glare at Pidge.

"Not that it's any of your business," he said, "but it was a kiss on the cheek." His scowl melted back into a dopey smile. "And it was perfect."

“See?” Pidge shot Hunk a look. “Gross.”

Lance opened his mouth to retort when the shop's front door suddenly slammed open. 

James Griffin stepped inside, flanked by two royal guardsmen. He swept his gaze over the startled trio before pointing at Lance.

"That's him," he said.

As the guards stalked towards Lance, he jumped up from his seat, hands raised defensively. 

"Woah, hey," Lance said. "What's going on?"

"Lance McClain," one of the guards said, "you are hereby under arrest for allegations of conspiring with demons."

Any trace of the warm feelings from earlier vanished as the blood drained from Lance's face. 

"What? That's...that's crazy," Lance said. "I hate demons! I fight then all the time. Right, guys?"

Wide-eyed, Hunk and Pidge nodded.

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to convince the guard, and he held out a pair of iron manacles.

"You can plead your case to the royal court," he said. "Now come with us."

Heart in his throat, Lance allowed the guard to lock the shackles around his wrists. 

"Lance," Hunk wrung his hands, "what should we do?"

As they began to drag him out of the shop, Lance threw one last look over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, guys," he said with a forced smile, "I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding."

Hunk and Pidge's panicked expressions stared back at Lance before the door slammed shut between them.

Lance's smile slipped away, but he kept his shoulders straight and his chin held high as James and the guards escorted him to the castle.

While passing through town, Lance garnered several curious looks. He was well-known throughout the kingdom, after all, and many passerby followed the group in search of gossip or scandal. Some tried to stop the guards, demanding to know why a hero such as Lance was being arrested. It warmed Lance’s heart, but he quickly asked them not to interfere. He didn’t want anyone to get in trouble on his behalf.

By the time they reached the castle, Lance and his entourage had amassed quite a large group of onlookers who followed them into the throne room.

Queen Allura raised her eyebrows at the unexpected audience, but didn’t seem too surprised.

Lance, however, was shocked.

When the guard told Lance he would be on trial, he expected a member of the royal council to act as judge, not the queen herself. Yet there she sat, in all her regal splendor, peering down at Lance from her throne with narrowed eyes.

“Lance McClain, you stand here today accused of consorting with demons,” Queen Allura said, her voice clear and resonant. “How do you plead?”

\-----

Shiro was checking in on some of the lower leveled demons when he heard a strange commotion. Pausing to listen, he realized someone was yelling, and quite loudly at that. Shiro followed the sound down three whole floors before finally locating the source at the ground level.

"What's going on here?" he asked. 

The arguing party froze. Nyma recovered first, giving Shiro a short bow.

"These humans say they need to talk to the king," she frowned. "They claim to be friends of Lance's, but I don't trust them."

Shiro turned to the humans in question. 

The two stood frozen like statues, staring up at Shiro in terror. He wasn't that scary looking, was he? He didn't even have his talons out.

Shiro cleared his throat and offered what he hoped was a non-threatening smile.

"You're friends with Lance?"

The smaller of the two snapped out of it, nodding her head with a fierce glint in her eyes.

"Lance is in trouble," she said. "We need to talk to Keith."

If they knew Keith's name, there was a good chance they were telling the truth. Plus, they did resemble the friends Lance sometimes talked about.

"I can take you to him," Shiro shot them a warning glare, "but no funny business. If I see even the slightest hint that this is a trick, you'll be back at the respawn zone before you can blink."

The humans paled and nodded. Satisfied that they would behave, Shiro led them up to the top floor.

"Your majesty?" Shiro knocked on the door before poking his head inside. "There's someone here to see you."

Sitting on his throne, Keith paused, his expression baffled. Shiro couldn't blame him. It's not like the Demon King got casual visitors. 

Well, besides Lance, of course, but he always just walked right in.

Shiro led the humans into the throne room, and recognition dawned in Keith's eyes.

"Hunk? Pidge?" Keith said. "What are you guys doing here? Where's Lance?"

Pidge grimaced. "Yeah, that's kinda why we're here. You see-"

"They arrested Lance!" Hunk blurted out.

Keith paled. "What?"

"Someone must have figured out he’s friends with you guys and reported him," Pidge said grimly. "He's probably on trial as we speak."

"What are we gonna do?" Hunk groaned, wringing his hands. "If Lance is found guilty of treason, they’ll throw him in prison for life. Or worse, he could be executed! You can't respawn from that!"

Keith shot to his feet, causing the humans to jump. He looked down at them with fire burning in his eyes.

"Take me to him," he ordered. "Now."

\-----

Lance tried his best to look innocent while James gave his testimony. However, the more the swordsman spoke, the further Lance’s heart sank. He detailed Lance’s betrayal in the demon tower, with Rizavi stepping in as a second witness. James then talked about Keith, Lance’s mysterious acquaintance who looked suspiciously like the Demon King.

When questioned, Lance fumbled his way through some story that Keith hailed from another kingdom, and his appearance was pure coincidence.

The queen did not look convinced.

A handful of people from the audience volunteered testimony, too. Some were in Lance’s favor, speaking of his good deeds throughout the years, while others claimed that they too had seen Lance acting suspicious with demons in the past. Lance didn’t know if they were lying or if he hadn’t been as careful as he’d thought. Either way, things weren’t looking good.

Finally, the last witness finished. Queen Allura pursed her lips, and turned to Lance. 

“I’ve heard a great deal about you, Lance McClain,” she said. “Many across the realm consider you a hero. Someone for young adventurers to aspire to. It saddens me greatly to think such a noble man is capable of committing treason.”

Allura’s eyes bored into Lance’s, heavy in their intensity.

“However,” she continued, “the evidence does appear to be stacked against you. If you have an explanation for all of this, I suggest you start talking.”

Lance cleared his throat, licking his dry lips. “I-”

A loud rumble suddenly shook the entire castle. What sounded like explosions and fighting rang from outside.

Soon, a handful of guards ran into the throne room, closing the large doors behind them and barricading it.

“What’s going on?” Allura demanded.

One of the guards hurried over, practically tripping over himself as he kneeled before her.

“We’re under attack, your majesty!”

“Under attack?” the queen repeated. “By who?”

_BANG!_

The throne room doors burst open, splintering the heavy wooden plank into tiny pieces. Everyone turned and stared in shock, including Lance. 

Standing in the threshold, lips pulled into a snarl and eyes full of fire and fury, was Keith.

The Demon King swept his gaze over the petrified crowd. Finally spotting Lance at the other end of the room, Keith began to stalk forward, his thin tail lashing angrily behind him and his wings stretched out to make him seem bigger.

The humans in the room finally came back to their senses, and began screaming and crying as they scrambled to get as far away from the demon as possible. The guards standing around Allura jumped forward, their weapons raised.

Lance’s heart stopped, and he braced himself to run to Keith’s defense. However, he’d barely taken a step when it became obvious that Keith didn’t need any help. 

A swipe of Keith’s hand sent the guards flying. Several crashed into the walls and didn’t get back up. Those who tried again soon vanished into a puff of smoke as Keith relieved them of their HP.

“Lance!” a familiar voice shouted from behind.

Picking his jaw up off the floor, Lance spun around. Pidge and Hunk pushed against the fleeing crowd, Pidge wielding her sharp elbows as deadly weapons and Hunk mumbling apologies to anyone he bumped into, until finally, they reached Lance,

“Lance!” Hunk threw his arms around him. “You’re okay!”

“Of course I’m okay,” Lance blinked rapidly. “What’s going on? Why is Keith here?”

Pidge sidled over with a cagey look in her eyes.

“We, uh, might have exaggerated how much danger you were in,” she said. “Just a tiny bit.”

“It’s not our fault,” Hunk added defensively. “We were worried about you!”

Before Lance could reply, another rumble shook the castle as Keith hurled a fireball at the remaining battalion. James Griffin charged at the Demon King, shouting something about evil temptresses, only to get hit by a blast of magic that sent him soaring over the trio’s heads.

Hunk and Pidge exchanged a glance.

“Yeeeah, looks like you’ve got everything under control,” Pidge said. “So, uh, we’re just gonna go. Good luck, Lance! Try not to die!”

“Wha-Guys!” Lance shouted at his friends’ backs as they ran after the crowd.

Traitors.

With a huff, Lance turned his attention back to Keith just in time to see the Demon King defeat the last knight. Sheathing his sword, Keith resumed walking until he came to a stop next to Lance at the base of the dais leading up to Allura’s throne. 

Lance wasn’t sure what to do, or even what to think. For now, he stayed silent and waited to follow Keith’s lead.

The Demon King glared up at Queen Allura.

“You have something of mine,” he said, “and I want him back.”

Lance’s heart stuttered. He felt like someone just shot him with one of his own arrows, except instead of pain, all he could feel were countless emotions overflowing inside of him, filling him with nothing but love.

“Keith…” he breathed.

A faint blush painted Keith’s cheeks, but he ignored Lance to keep his eyes on Allura.

The queen herself didn’t seem particularly fazed, returning Keith’s stare with steady poise. 

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied.

Keith scowled. “You’re seriously gonna make me say it?”

“I’m afraid so,” she replied. “Given the circumstances, I think clarity is in everyone’s best interests.”

Keith’s blush darkened. Lance could tell the Demon King was dying from embarrassment on the inside, but he squared his shoulders and jabbed a finger at Lance.

“I’m talking about him,” Keith said through gritted teeth. 

“Lance McClain is a citizen of my kingdom,” Allura stated primly. “You do not have the legal authority to extradite him from this trial.”

Keith and Lance both blinked at her. That was her issue with this?

Keith’s eyes flitted between Lance and Allura, his eyebrows knitted together in thought. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. Taking a deep breath, Keith reached under his shirt to pull out a long gold chain. Keith removed something from the delicate chain and slipped it onto his finger. 

Lance didn’t understand what was happening until a notification screen suddenly popped up, congratulating Lance on his engagement.

Wait, what?

“This man,” Keith pointed at Lance again, light glinting off the gold ring that now adorned his finger, “is my betrothed. If you execute him, I will have no choice but to consider it an act of war.”

Trembling, Lance slowly raised his hand to grasp Keith’s. Keith jumped slightly at the contact, turning to look back at Lance.

Lance stared in awe at the ring he’d offered Keith so many months ago.

“You kept it?” he asked. “All this time?”

Keith’s already scarlet face burned even brighter. Averting his eyes, he gave Lance the tiniest of nods.

Lance felt like he was going to burst from happiness. He wanted nothing more than to take Keith into his arms and kiss him. 

But before he could move, a throat cleared, reminding Lance of their situation. Somewhat sheepishly, Lance turned to face the queen.

“I believe I now have a better understanding of the situation,” Allura said, studying them with a calculating gaze, “and I am willing to release Lance on one condition.”

Keith and Lance exchanged a look.

“What kind of condition?” Keith asked warily.

Allura’s face suddenly broke out into a delighted smile as she leaned forward in her seat, clasping her hands in front of her.

“You must invite me to the wedding!” she declared with sparkling eyes.

The room was dead silent until Keith finally opened his mouth.

“...Huh?”

\-----

Keith listened in a daze as Queen Allura explained how she’d been wanting to make peace between the humans and demons for a long time now.

“We’ve been enemies for so long, no one even remembers the reason why anymore,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It’s ridiculous!”

The queen went on to talk about trying to send ambassadors to the tower, but none of them were able to make it to Keith.

“If only I’d known that one of my subjects visited you all the time,” she laughed.

Lance weakly joined in. Keith merely continued to stare.

“So, what are you suggesting exactly?” Keith finally asked.

The mirth in Allura’s eyes faded as she returned Keith’s serious gaze.

“As I said, I wish for humans and demons to stop fighting one another and become allies. It will take time, and many, many bureaucratic meetings, but I think that peace is worth it.”

Keith studied the queen’s face. Finding no hint of deception, he nodded.

“That said, it doesn’t have to be all boring paperwork,” a smile returned to Allura’s lips. “We should give our people something fun to look forward to as well. A symbol of our alliance.”

“So what you’re saying is,” Lance cut in, “you wanna use our wedding as a publicity stunt to get everyone on board with making friends with demons?”

“I suppose that’s one way of putting it,” Allura said. “It’s up to you, of course, but I really think it would be a great help. I’d even be willing to host your wedding here, and provide whatever you need.”

Lance hummed and turned to Keith.

“What do you say, babe?” Lance asked. “Wanna get married and unite our people?”

Keith considered Allura’s offer. Honestly, up until now he’d never given much thought about what his wedding would be like, since he never thought he’d get married in the first place. Holding the ceremony in Queen Allura’s castle would be a break in tradition, but Keith had never cared much about that anyway. Besides, Lance would want to invite his friends and family, and Allura’s throne room was much bigger than Keith’s.

Keith looked into Lance’s hopeful eyes and smiled.

\-----

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Keith, King of the Demons, and Lance, Hero of Altea, in matrimony,” Allura said, her voice strong and bright. “If anyone has a reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Keith glared out at the audience like he was prepared to fight anyone who might dare object. Lance gave Keith’s hands a little squeeze. Those gorgeous violet eyes returned to meet Lance’s gaze, softening when Lance smiled.

Lance could hardly believe this was really happening. From the moment he met Keith, Lance had only wanted one thing: to be with Keith, to love and cherish and protect him for the rest of his life. And now here they were, declaring their love before the entire kingdom.

It was a dream come true.

The throne room looked amazing. When Queen Allura realized that neither Keith nor Lance particularly cared about the details of the ceremony so much as the being-together-forever part, she happily offered to step in. Allura always asked for their opinions on decor and food and music, but they usually just agreed to whatever she suggested. 

Lance was thankful, because the end result was better than anything he could have come up with on his own. Rich silks of red, blue, and purple fell from the ceiling, the ends tied off with silver chains and dripping diamonds. Wildflowers of every shape and color were artfully placed around the room, providing a pleasant scent. Beams of light from the setting sun shone through the tall windows, casting everything in a warm, magical glow.

But, the most beautiful thing by far was Keith himself. He and Lance stood before Allura, their hands clasped together as they stared into each other’s eyes. Shiro stood proudly a few steps behind Keith, just as Hunk stood behind Lance. Kosmo sat nearby too, a small basket held in his jaws.

Allura had told Keith under no uncertain terms that he needed a new outfit for the ceremony. After all, Keith’s regular ensemble as Demon King was made out of black leather and a bit on the skimpy side, which was right up Lance’s alley but admittedly not what he’d consider wedding appropriate. Keith had pouted, but agreed.

It took a lot of Keith griping and arguing with the royal tailor, but in the end he got an outfit everyone was happy with. The crimson tunic was embroidered with gold thread in a complex pattern along the collar, sleeves, and hem. Keith’s pants were black leather, but not nearly as scandalously tight as his usual pair. Instead they looked rich yet sturdy, like something a hunter might wear. 

It was also apparently traditional for demons to wear treasure from their personal stash. Priceless gemstones dripped from Keith’s neck and wrists, and delicate gold chains were draped aesthetically over his horns. Even his thin tail had a shiny bauble attached to the end.

An impressive crown inlaid with rubies completed the picture. All in all, Keith looked every inch the powerful king he was.

Not that any of it mattered to Lance. Sure, the jewels and rich fabrics enhanced Keith’s beauty to an unimaginable scale, but even without all the finery, Keith would still be the most gorgeous person in the world just because of the smile on his face. Keith looked at Lance with violet eyes full of love, like Lance was just as beautiful to Keith as Keith was to him.

And maybe he was. Not to brag, but Lance cleaned up pretty damn nice himself. Allura had insisted that Lance also get a new outfit to compliment Keith’s. Where Keith’s tunic was red and gold, Lance’s was a deep blue with silver embroidery. 

Though he wasn’t covered in treasure like Keith, Lance wasn’t devoid of jewelry either. A few weeks ago, Keith brought Lance into his private chambers to show him his collection of treasure and told Lance to pick out whatever he liked to wear for the wedding. Lance almost refused, but then he saw Keith’s face. 

The Demon King was bright red and fidgeting nervously. Lance surmised this was some kind of important gesture for demons, and selected a handful of rings, a bracelet, and a silver pendant. When he turned back to Keith with his choices, Lance was rewarded with a relieved smile.

So here he was, standing in front of what felt like the entire kingdom of Altea plus all the residents of the demon tower, dressed in clothes and jewels probably worth more than all the loot Lance had ever won combined. Not exactly what he expected, but Lance wasn’t about to complain. 

Queen Allura’s patronage also had the added benefit of Lance’s family not having to spend a single coin on the wedding, though Lucia still helped with the arrangements. 

She and the rest of Lance’s family were in shock when they found out about, well, everything. They had stood together in front of the McClain house and gaped, not at Lance and Keith’s joined hands, or the ring on Keith’s finger, but at Keith’s horns, wings, and tail. 

Keith waited silently, ready to accept their judgement, his hand trembling in Lance’s. Despite Lance’s assurances, he knew Keith had worried that Lance’s family would reject their courtship once they learned Keith’s true identity. 

Lucia stepped forward.

She didn’t speak, but her eyes were kind. Lucia took Keith into her arms with a smile. Lance watched the tension slowly drain out of Keith’s body when he slumped into her embrace.

With Lucia’s blessing, the rest of the family quickly followed. Dinner was filled with congratulations and questions and laughter. Nadia and Silvio were among the first to accept the Demon King as their new family member, excitedly chattering about what other kinds of demons they wanted to become friends with.

The next visit, Keith brought Shiro and Kosmo along, and the Demon King officially became Nadia and Silvio’s favorite uncle. Lance couldn’t find it in himself to be too upset.

Especially not now, with Lance’s entire family front and center in the audience as he and Keith exchanged their vows.

“Keith,” Lance said, staring into Keith’s big, violet eyes, “I love you so, so much. The first day we met, I offered to be yours. And I swore to you that if you gave me a chance, I’d make you mine too. Mine to cherish. Mine to protect. Mine to love.” 

Keith’s cheeks pinkened, but he held Lance’s steady gaze.

“You gave me that chance,” Lance continued, “so now I promise that from this day forth, I will do everything in my power to support your dreams, to shield you from loneliness, and to love you with every fiber of my being until the end of time.”

Lance looked at Allura, who nodded at Keith to go ahead. Keith let go of one of Lance’s hands to reach into his pocket for a small slip of paper. The hand that still held onto Lance trembled slightly as Keith looked down at the vows he’d written.

“Lance…” Keith stopped to lick his lips and take a deep breath. He glanced back up. Seeing Lance’s reassuring smile, the nervousness in Keith’s eyes seemed to abate, replaced by determination. Keith tucked the paper away and held both of Lance’s hands once more, staring up at Lance with fire in his eyes.

“The first day we met, I thought you were an idiot,” he said bluntly. Surprised laughter tittered through the audience. Before Lance could decide how to feel at such a statement, Keith continued, “You were loud and annoying and no matter how many times I killed you, you kept coming back.”

Lance opened his mouth to retort, but Keith quickly pressed a finger to Lance’s lips.

“But then one day, you _didn’t_ come back,” Keith continued softly. “At first I couldn’t understand why it bothered me so much. So what if you never returned? That was what I wanted, right? But I was just trying to fool myself.” Keith shot Lance an exasperated yet undeniably fond look. “Somehow, in your stubborn quest to get to know me, I got to know you, too. I mean, you’re still kinda loud and annoying-”

A jeer rang out from Lance’s siblings in the front row. Lance turned to scowl at them, but Keith’s hand cupped Lance’s cheek, bringing his attention back to the Demon King.

“-but,” Keith smiled, “you’re also kind and brave and you have the biggest heart in all of Altea. I never realized how lonely I was until you came into my life. It was like...like rain clouds followed me everywhere I went, but I didn’t see them because they’d been there for so long. Then you appeared, and little by little, the sun broke out and the clouds faded away.”

Lance stared, his eyes suspiciously wet. Keith ducked his head, and a blush crawled up his face.

“Sorry, I’m rambling,” he muttered. “I’ll stop.”

“No, no!” Lance hastily wiped away the tears threatening to fall. He gripped Keith’s hands again, holding on for dear life. “Keep going.”

That soft smile returned to Keith’s lips, so full of love Lance could barely stand it. 

“You’re the sun, Lance,” he said quietly. “You’re warm and bright and I don’t want to go back to being in the dark ever again. I promise to do whatever it takes to stay by your side. I’ll cherish and protect and love you, too. I want to stay with you. Forever.”

Dammit, now the tears were freely flowing down Lance’s face. 

“If I’m the sun,” he choked out, “you’re the moon and the stars and the northern lights.”

Keith laughed, a few tears slipping down his own cheeks. “Stop trying to one-up me in our wedding vows!”

“You started it!”

Their laughter faded into soft, love-struck smiles. 

Allura stepped forward and said, “It is now time to exchange the rings.”

Kosmo padded over. Plucking the rings from the small basket, Keith awarded the wolf with a scratch behind his ears. He and Lance put the rings onto each other’s fingers and held hands once more.

“Do you, Lance, take Keith to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Allura asked.

Standing tall, Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s hands and nodded.

“I do.”

“And do you, Keith, take Lance to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Keith looked at Lance, his eyes full of more emotions than Lance could even begin to parse. His hands returned Lance’s squeeze, and Keith’s soft smile transformed into a bright grin that Lance swore was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“I do.”

“Then, by the power vested in me as Queen of Altea, I now pronounce you married,” Allura smiled. “You may now kiss the groom.”

She hadn’t even finished speaking before Lance swept Keith into his arms, barely cognizant of the audience’s applause. He held Keith close, kissing him like it was the only thing keeping Lance alive. 

Keith let out a little laugh when Lance dipped him, pulling back just enough to look into Lance’s eyes.

“Hey,” Keith said, soft enough that Lance had to strain to hear it over the cheers of the crowd.

“Hey,” Lance answered, equally as soft.

“I love you,” Keith said.

Lance’s eyes fell shut and he gently pressed their foreheads together.

“I love you too.”

\-----

It took time and a lot of hard work, but the humans and demons found a way to create peace.

Allura’s suggestion to use Lance and Keith’s wedding as a symbol of their alliance worked brilliantly. She hired humans and demons alike to prepare for the event, so that they could start to get used to working together. There was still some reluctance on both sides, of course, but over the weeks leading up to the ceremony, the two species found common ground.

Then they all witnessed the strength of Lance and Keith’s love, and realized humans and demons could live in harmony after all. 

Or well, that’s what Lance claimed, anyway. Keith just rolled his eyes and pointed out that he was the king and Lance was a renowned hero, so their union was politically advantageous, or some junk like that. All Lance really cared about was that it helped the alliance and now everyone knew how much Keith and Lance loved each other.

Once the humans and demons reached a stable, if somewhat unfamiliar, truce, a new question arose. What would the demons and adventurers do next?

The demons enjoyed battling heroes, they just didn't want said heroes taking their possessions or driving them from their home. On a similar note, adventurers still wanted to test their skills, and get loot and XP that couldn’t be gained from smaller side quests.

Thus, the demon tower became its own sort of quest. Heroes could pay a small fee to enter the tower. That money went into a pool that was used to reward heroes who made it to the higher floors, along with other loot donated by humans and demons alike. The further an adventurer progressed, the greater chance of winning a rare item, and those who didn't make it very far still got XP.

Honestly, it wasn't that different from before, except for the general lack of murderous intent.

This allowed the demons to become less paranoid about their security and safety as well. A surprisingly small amount of time passed before people grew accustomed to the sight of demons going about their business in town. Some even left the tower entirely to integrate with the humans, setting up homes and businesses in the capital.

Hunk and Pidge’s shop was doing well. Not that they ever had trouble getting customers to begin with, but after word got out that they invented the amulet Keith used to disguise himself, people flocked to their store in droves to ask for help with seemingly impossible requests. Hunk and Pidge were a little overwhelmed at first, but their love for science and magic quickly took over. Nyma and Rolo were among the demons who decided to move out of the tower, and Hunk immediately hired them to work in the shop.

Even James Griffin was less antagonistic nowadays. He and his friends became regular players in the new demon tower, and helped out sometimes when the demons were short-handed.

All in all, things were going better than Lance ever expected.

Lance sat on the dais steps in Keith’s throne room, strumming idle notes on his mandolin. He supposed he could just use the second throne that now sat beside Keith’s, but this way they could huddle together.

“I’m having trouble with this verse,” Keith frowned. He passed his journal to Lance. “What do you think?”

Lance hummed, scanning Keith’s tidy scrawl. “Pretty. But I think this line might work better if you switched these two words.”

Keith tilted his head before nodding. He returned to his work, a cute pout to his lips as he focused on rewriting the lyrics.

“So,” Lance plucked a few more notes, “are you ready for tomorrow?”

Not looking up from his journal, Keith nodded.

“Yup. I’ve got everything I might need in my inventory, and I spoke to Shiro and the others again this morning.”

“And Shiro’s okay with being in charge while you’re gone?”

“Please,” Keith rolled his eyes, “he’s been running this place for years. I just sit on my throne and fight humans.”

With the demon/human peace treaty so new, Keith and Lance had to stay in Altea to attend meetings and make sure things ran smoothly. Thus, it wasn’t until now, several months after the wedding, that things finally settled enough for them to go on their honeymoon. 

Lance didn’t mind waiting. The alliance was super important, plus neither of them would have been able to enjoy their trip if they were constantly worried about something going horribly wrong in their absence. But now that that was no longer a concern, he could barely contain his excitement. Lance had never travelled outside of Altea before, and he couldn’t think of anyone else he’d rather share the experience with than Keith.

It was sure to be a grand adventure.

“Okay, I’m done,” Keith said.

Lance scooted closer to peer down at the journal. Reading the lyrics, Lance smiled.

“I love it,” he said. “Now all we need is a title.”

“Hmm,” Keith tapped his bottom lip. His violet eyes brightened, and he scrawled a few words at the top of the page.

_It Never Rains on Saturday_

He looked at Lance for approval. Smiling, Lance cupped Keith’s face, and Keith’s eyes fluttered shut as their lips brushed together. Lance tenderly swept his thumb across Keith’s cheekbone and gazed upon his husband.

“It’s perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Your comments gave me life, and your support motivated me on this journey! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
> 
> As you may have noticed, I’ve created a series for this fic! I’m not entirely sure what will come next, but I love this AU to bits so I’ll probably write a few little extra oneshots for it at some point. Truth be told, I'd like to write a full sequel, but I have to think up a good plot first, haha. If you’re interested, please subscribe to me or to the series for future updates!
> 
> Do you have a suggestion or request for something you’d like to see? Keith and Lance doing a sidequest? Shiro’s daily life managing the demon tower? James getting eaten by Kosmo??? I’m always open to ideas, so let me know in the comments! (Or just tell me you want more of this AU. The more interest people have in it, the more likely it'll happen sooner >_>)
> 
> If you’re new to my works, why not take a look at some of my other stuff? I’ve got a Legend of Zelda AU (no knowledge of Zelda required!) called The Lion’s Flute that has a similar kind of feel to it as this one, with Hero!Lance and Prince!Keith in a fantasy setting. It holds a special place in my heart, so please check it out! ❀(*´◡`*)❀
> 
> I’ve also got a 100k+ Avatar AU I’ve been writing for over a year now called Flare and Flow that I’m quite proud of if you’re looking for something long and plotty!
> 
> An extra extra special thanks to my beta Melissa for taking the time to edit this during a hectic period in her life. You da best. ۹(ÒہÓ)۶
> 
> Thanks again, and see you next time! ٩(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و


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